


Pre-Wedding Jitters

by Lathis



Series: Dark Titans [6]
Category: DC Animated Universe (Timmverse), Ranma 1/2, Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:46:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 79,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28967043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lathis/pseuds/Lathis
Summary: Dark Titans is the sequel to The Titans and the Lost Boy.This series of stories follows the ongoing adventures of Heroes and Martial Artists alike, as two very different worlds collide.The Titans leave for Tamaran for Starfire's wedding.  In their absence, Ryouga and Terra decide to take a training trip, Speedy and Kasumi deal with the dual problems of setting up a sweet party and protecting the city from Red X, and some familiar Amazons decide they have a wedding to crash.  A weeklong introspective on the lives of heroes and martial artists as they struggle to figure out what is going on in their lives before the big Wedding.
Series: Dark Titans [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057328
Comments: 7
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

-T-Minus 10 hours-

Sparks danced merrily over the mass of wires and circuitry; each incandescent speck of superheated metal arcing through the air, some bouncing off insulated coatings or bare metal, before being snuffed out and vanishing from sight forever. Cyborg was fairly sure there was some kind of metaphor in there somewhere, but he wasn't nearly poetic enough to try to put it into words. Honestly, he was far too distracted thinking about Starfire to worry about some shining point of light disappearing from his life, never to be seen again.

A hand on his shoulder pulled the technological genius back to reality and away from his work. He leaned back lethargically and turned to see who was disturbing him. Upon seeing who it was, though, being 'disturbed' was instantly banished from his thoughts, as he could never imagine more welcome company at that moment.

Kasumi stared down at him, the tall woman towering over him as he knelt beside the open panel on the side of the T-Ship. There was an odd expression on her face as she matched his upwards gaze, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but she seemed somewhat... dimmer... than usual. The smile was there, and the familiar twinkle in her eye, but both seemed muted. Her graceful hands were now clasped before her.

"I don't think that I've ever seen you look so melancholy while doing something that you love so much," remarked the lovely Tendo woman in a soft voice.

Cyborg found himself lost in her eyes for a moment, only to give his head a vigorous shake. Offering up a weak chuckle to hide his embarrassment, he waved his hand absently – remembering to disengage the cutting torch in his finger before he set anything on fire – to divert her concerns. He planned to follow it up with a verbal assurance that he was fine, and that nothing was wrong, but when he opened his mouth...

He couldn't find the words.

His jaw slid closed a moment later, and he ruminated on her obvious statement. His eyes began to wander from his relatively new teammate, and he found himself staring at the orange and black hull of the fully repaired and remodelled T-Ship. His gaze then slid down, to the massive set of solid-state booster rockets which the T-Ship was mounted on. Currently perched on a scaffolding easily fifty feet off the ground, he puzzled over the fact that he didn't remember hearing Kasumi use the elevator to get up here...

Still, this entire hanger was a tribute to the magnitude of his genius. Anything they needed, he could make. Any problem they had, be it travelling to the deepest depths of the ocean, or to the blackest depths of space... or just downtown to pick up some pizza, he could make those things happen, almost by sheer force of will, bending technology and the laws of physics to suit his needs. And... and that was exactly the problem at the moment.

With a tired sigh, he swung the panel closed and sealed it up. Honestly, there hadn't even been anything wrong in the circuitry, just a last-minute check and a few not-strictly-necessary optimizations. If the T-Ship had been built by anyone but himself, he almost would have thought he was _looking_ for something to be wrong.

"Well... what can I say?" he finally replied. "Yeah, I love being a technical genius. And I love makin' stuff like this. I mean, just look at my baby here. This ship is probably the most amazing thing I've ever built." He rapped a knuckle off the armoured hull of the craft, a sharp echo ringing out at the contact. "But now all I see when I look at her... is a Big Yellow Taxi, comin' to take my girl away."

Kasumi's head tilted to the side, her long chestnut ponytail dropping over her shoulder to sway freely. The dark blue t-shirt and baggy pair of matching sweatpants would have looked out of place at any other point in time, but as a whole, the look of confusion and the ultra casual clothing just made the older woman look hopelessly adorable. "Yellow taxi? ...I'm afraid I don't understand that reference..."

Chuckling weakly, he nodded, then gestured for her to take a seat beside him. As she grabbed onto one of the numerous rails and proceeded to slide her long legs over the side of the platform to let her feet dangle in the air, he shifted to a similar position, swinging his legs off the platform as well.

"Guess that's not a big surprise. It's a bit of a golden oldie. The gist of it, though, was that you don't know what ya got, till it's gone."

"Ahhh, yes, I think I understand."

His head dropping, he couldn't build up much enthusiasm to explain the relevant pop culture any further. "It's just... I never saw this coming. Seriously, not in a million years could I have seen Starfire just... just leaving us like this. And even worse, I'm the one that's making it possible..."

Again, he felt Kasumi's hand come to rest on his back, only to gently slide up to lay on his shoulder. He couldn't feel more than what his built-in pressure sensors could detect, her touch was little more than a stream of 1's and 0's flooding into his processor. The warmth of her hand was just a thermographic image, and the softness of her skin was lost on him completely; the only reason he was even able to notice that she was giving his shoulder a companionable squeeze was because he could see the tightening in her knuckles and hear the tension in the muscles and tendons in her hand...

Despite all of that, he still relished the contact. The physical aspect might be lost in translation, but her intent, the desire to make him feel better came through loud and clear.

"You can't blame yourself like that, Victor. Whether you made this lovely ship or not, Starfire would still be leaving us. If not your ship, then another would have come, likely from Tamaran itself." The Japanese brunette, wise beyond her years, offered him a warm smile. "However, if another ship did come, I doubt they would take anyone else back to Tamaran with them. So, don't think of it as you being responsible for Starfire's departure. Think of it as, thanks to your ingenuity, that you'll be able to spend just that much longer with her and see her through her special day."

He was still somewhat dubious. "You mean standin' around and watching while she gets married to some total stranger? Do you have any idea how hard that's gonna be for us to do? Especially a certain member of our team..."

Nodding sadly, Kasumi let out a weary sigh. "I know it will be hard for all of you... but can you imagine how hard it will be for Starfire? If I were a betting woman, I would imagine that she'll be more grateful to have you there with her, than she could ever possibly express."

"Hmm... I hadn't thought of it like that..."

A giggle as pure as the note of a bell rang in his ear.

"Of course you didn't. You're a problem solver; you want to find a way to fix this. It's against your nature to simply accept that something might not have a solution for you to find." His entire body stiffened as second later, and his cheek began to burn red, as Kasumi suddenly leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "It is an endearing trait."

It took him several seconds to regain his calm. Any other time, he would have started having a Ryouga style daydream and started smashing through walls, but all things considered, it felt inappropriate to slip off to cloud nine. Slowly nodding, he conceded her point. "Unfortunately, we both know that reality doesn't work that way. Not every problem has a solution just waiting to be found. Sometimes... you just have to accept things, no matter how bad they are."

Again, his gaze dropped, and he found himself staring down at the floor some fifty feet below. It was an odd sensation, as he'd been much higher before, even jumped off a tall building once – he still owed Nabiki one for that damned race trap of hers – but more so than any of those other times, he felt like he was hanging over a bottomless pit.

To his side, he couldn't see the distraught look on Kasumi's face as she studied him. He was too lost in his own world to see her concern grow, and he was too distracted to see her slight frown slowly turn up into an impish smile. As such, he was totally caught off guard when the Tendo woman suddenly patted him on the shoulder.

"I'm glad you think that way," she stated, suddenly and inexplicably. When he turned to regard her, eyebrow quirking in curiosity, she simply shrugged her shoulders and smiled brightly. "That means that there's no need for you get upset over the fact that I... may have happened to go onto your little Cyblog and make some small alterations to the recipes you've posted over the past few months."

"Oh, no, that's fin-" Realization struck like an atomic hammer. "Wait a second! You _what_?"

He spun on the innocently smiling house maker incredulously. "How did you get into my account to make changes?"

"Oh, you left your account open the last time you were updating your blog. I just happened along at a serendipitous time; I suppose. I've been fretting _awfully_ over the problems with those recipes for weeks now. I just had to fix them."

Cyborg nodded. That made sense- ' _Hey, wait another minute!'_ "Hey! Wait another minute! I was doing that last update in my room! What were you even doing in there in the first place?"

"Cleaning," she replied, as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. "Honestly, you make it sound like I hacked the lock on your door, broke into your room, cut through the decryptions on your security software and then guessed your password, all just to make a few innocuous changes to your blog."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Cyborg chuckled and ran a hand over the back of his smooth head. "Heh... yeah, I guess it does sound a bit silly when ya put it like that. Well, I guess it's my own fault then, for being too careless. Besides, no harm, no foul, right? I mean, it's not like you did anything major."

"Of course not," she confirmed, rolling her wrist dismissively. There was a moment's pause, though, and she touched a finger to her lower lip. "Well... I might have also taken the liberty of replying to a few of the comments that some of your followers left. There were some very rude people that said some very mean things about Terra. I felt compelled to better explain the situation to them and what a wonderful young woman she is."

Cyborg's eyes widened slowly in horror. "You... you fed the trolls?"

"Is that another quaint western pop culture reference?"

"No, it's a very real thing. You said you replied to all the rudest, most jerkass people in the forums?"

"Oh my, yes. I'm certain that they'll see the error of their ways. I was quite polite and reasonable with my responses."

Cyborg dropped his face into his hands. ' _Doomed... I'm doomed._ ' "Oh, Kasumi... you have no idea! No troll has ever, anywhere, in the history of the internet _ever_ been dissuaded from trolling by a _reasonable argument_! Throwing logic at those kinds of people is like tossing gas onto a fire!"

The Tendo woman tapped her chin, obviously considering his words. "Hmm... well, that certainly explains all of the heated responses I got. There were just far too many to deal with individually, so I had to end up making a new post on the Cyblog, so I could deal with them all at once and explain to them why they were wrong."

"You _posted_ on my _blog_?" Not believing what he was hearing, Cyborg swung his arm up in front of him and brought up the web browser on the display embedded in his arm. Quickly flipping through his bookmarks, he found his website and brought it up at the speed of information. Right at the top of the page, highlighted by sweeping, elegant font that he would never imagine using, was a new post heading...

Grimly, fearing the worst of the worst, he began to read:

_Good day, my greatly appreciated and avid readers. I hope that you're all having a pleasant day, and that any troubles you may be having have been small and/or entertaining, at the least. Oh my, and I almost forgot: a heartfelt 'Booyah' to all of you out there that might be in need of one..._

He paused.

"...That... that's not actually too bad." Slowly, a thought filtered through his sub-processors and he turned to regard the vision of domestic bliss at his side. "Say, Kasumi?"

Apparently quite entranced by the T-Ship now, the Tendo replied with an absent "Hm?"

"Can I ask a favour of you while I'm away?"

* * *

-T-Minus 8 hours—

Squeezing her eyes closed, Raven took a deep breath as she rested her forehead against the door of her room. The cool metal provided a calming sensation across her skin, and with a hesitant twist, she engaged the door's lock, effectively sealing the room from most unauthorized entry. The absolute last thing she wanted now was for Beast Boy, or anyone else at all, to come barrelling into her room. Taking another nervous breath, she pushed herself away from the door and took a few backwards steps towards the heart of her personal sanctuary.

As always, the lighting in her room was subdued, dim, and shadows crept up from behind every object, artifact and furnishing she owned. The dark blue coloration of her room only enhanced the effect, the long shades blending in with the already bleak background giving an impression of space beyond the already spacious area. Spacious, but claustrophobic all at the same time. Like standing in the center of a massive cavern, but barely being able to see your own hand in front of your face.

She knew that others were put off by the ...decor... of her room. Beast Boy called her gloomy, gothic, and just plain spooky – usually when she was out of earshot – but she could hardly fault him for his conclusions. He was, after all, a creature that dwelled in the positive, while she was... not. What others perceived as oppressive, she found comfortable. Other people feared the dark, and what it contained.

She knew that what she feared the most did not hide in the shadows. No, her greatest fear dwelled in the blinding light of eternal flames. What engendered a feeling of terror from others, the fear of the unknown so intricately linked with darkness... it filled her with a sense of security, of safety. After all, she might not know everything which dwelled in the darkness...

But she knew what did _not_ dwell there, and everything else be damned.

Of course, all those thoughts of her dwelling quarters, and how uncomfortable it was for anyone and everyone else only served to draw her back to the present, and her current predicament. Reaching up, she slowly lowered her hood, allowing what dim lights were present to reach her face more fully. And then, feeling that her courage was as marshaled as it would ever get, she spun around and regarded the – quite possibly first – person whom she had invited into her room.

Ryouga sat on the edge of her large, ornate bed. The lavender colored satin sheets pooled around him, pulled in as his mass displaced the wonderfully soft mattress. She had not had time to make her bed that morning, much to her embarrassment. Her blanket was still tossed haphazardly across the bed, a testament to how eager she had been to throttle Beast Boy that morning for waking her at such an ungodly hour.

If he noticed the slovenly display, the very lost looking boy gave no sign. His legs were spread out and his feet planted firmly on the floor before him. He had his elbows resting firmly on his knees and used the strong foundation to cradle his head in the palms of his calloused hands. The poor guy had not even changed from his morning spar with Robin and was wearing a bright white gi uniform. Though it was the last thing she should have noticed, she could not help it as her eyes lingered on the way the loose top hung low as he hunched forward, revealing much more of his chest than she was used to seeing.

As quickly as she had turned to look at him, she spun away clutching her hands to her chest and feeling a blush burn her cheeks. This was, in its purest essence, exactly what she had been hoping for, striving for over the past several days. Even before Terra's triumph over Adonis just last night, Raven had been hoping to steal herself a moment with the emotional martial artist. He had done so much for them and asked for nothing in return but their friendship; she had wanted, so very much, to be able to put into words just how grateful she- that _they_ all were for what he had done for her- for _them_.

So, it was almost perfectly fitting that she should get exactly what she wanted, only to have it happen in such a way that what should have been the sweet taste of victory now turned to bitter ash in her mouth. Even her innocent embarrassment over the situation only filled her with a shame that writhed in her belly. The fact that she even let such thoughts occur to her, considering the situation, felt like a betrayal to both Starfire _and_ Ryouga.

He had come here, to her room, doubtlessly looking for comfort over the impending departure of their dear friend, and she could barely even control herself long enough to think about how he must be feeling. Ryouga and Starfire had become like a pair of siblings in the short time they had known each other, joking, playing, and squabbling as much as any other brothers and sisters she had seen throughout their city. Starfire had brought no small measure of light into the Lost Boy's life, had never stopped pestering him, no matter how much he would try to push her away. The Tamaranean had been relentless, had never let his grim personae and dark nature frighten her into shunning him. Quite the opposite, as she had even gone out of her way to try to pull him, often against his will, ever further out of his shell...

And now Starfire was leaving...

Not entirely sure why, Raven found her arms wrapping around her torso, hugging herself tightly. Leaning forward, her head dipping down, she felt her head reeling. She still couldn't believe it. Starfire, who had been almost as much of a pest to her as Beast Boy from time to time, would be leaving for home – her true home, apparently – and would never be returning. Just what would ... _he_ do without the bubbly alien around to draw her – draw _him_ out of his personal darkness?

The sudden feeling of a warm, calloused hand on her shoulder sent a shock through Raven's body and her entire frame shot up straight –

Stars filled her vision and pain blossomed in the back of her skull. She nearly fell forward, when the hand on her shoulder tightened its grip, ever so slightly, and restored her balance in an instant. With the helping hand, she was able to turn around and fire a scathing glare...

Directly at a sheepish looking Ryouga. While he held her shoulder gently with one hand, his other hand was currently clutching his nose and doing a poor job of hiding a wide grin on his lips. Realization as to what had happened flooded into her aching head instantly, and her knee jerk reaction was to offer up an apology. Thankfully, the sentimental urge was quickly quashed, as she found the sharp strike to her cranium had been surprisingly effective in getting her mind back on the proper set of rails.

"I'll have you know, I'm only a fan of slapstick humor when Beast Boy is involved... or possibly Cyborg," she explained in a blasé tone of voice.

Giving his nose one last pinch before lowering his hand, revealing not so much as a red mark from where she had all but head-butted him, he chuckled weakly as he went about scratching the back of his head in that fondly familiar gesture of his. Then, almost as an afterthought, he finally let go of her shoulder as well, pulling his hand back to his side just a bit swifter than necessity necessitated.

"Sorry about that, Raven. I didn't mean to startle you like that."

She rolled her eyes. "And what makes you think that I was startled?"

He began to stare at her incredulously, but she quickly fired a glare his way that just _dared_ him to say what he was no doubt thinking about saying at that moment. Incredulity waxed, waned, and finally melted into helpless amusement. Shaking his head, he gave a small shrug, an open admission of his defeat.

"Sorry again," he finally replied, not quite able to completely suppress the humour in his voice. A second later, though, any mirth died away completely, and his stare became intense as he locked gazes with her. Carefully he reached out and dropped a hand on her shoulder once more. "I really am sorry, Raven. Here, I came all the way to your room just to help cheer you up, and all I do is end up wallowing in my own misery. Some friend I am."

Raven found herself staring at Ryouga, her turn for incredulity.

"...Pardon?"

The martial artist shook his head in a helpless sort of gesture. "I know, I know, I was being really selfish there, just taking advantage of your hospitality-"

Raven felt her face screw up into an expression that no doubt mirrored the state of confusion overtaking her thoughts. If he noticed it, Ryouga gave no sign, just continuing with his admission.

"I mean, yeah, Starfire and I have gotten pretty close, and I like treating her like a sister, but... but then it occurred to me. I've only known Star for a few months. _You_ have known her for _years_! She may be _like_ family to me, but to you, she _is_." Ryouga dropped his gaze, apparently unable to continue looking her in the eyes. The pressure on her shoulder increased incrementally, but not uncomfortably so, and Ryouga lifted his free hand, curling it into a fist of frustration. "If I'm feeling as terrible as I am at the thought of Starfire leaving, then you – all of you guys – must be feeling a hundred times worst. And, honestly, I can't even imagine what that must be like for you."

Raven found herself simply staring at the wandering martial artist, her jaw hanging agape. She barely even had time to register what her body attempted to do before her mind marshalled up the pure force of will to prevent herself from leaping forward and crushing him in a desperate embrace. Instead, she directed the built-up physical inertia into coughing violently into her fist to cover the near gaffe. She regretted the feint immediately, as Ryouga hastily patted her on the back to help her out, nearly dislodging a few ribs, but thankfully not causing any permanent injury.

"Raven! Are you alright?"

Wincing, she attempted to glare balefully at the over exuberant fighter but found herself unusually lacking in negative emotion now. Instead, she nodded gingerly and placed a hand on his chest. Unfortunately, the gesture was simply to help her maintain her balance, as opposed to any affection at this point.

"I'm... I'm alright, Ryouga. Just a cough." She massaged her throat to emphasise her point before continuing. "Still... I don't think you need to stretch your imagination too far. Your emotions are already a hundred times more uncontrolled than mine at the best of times. Let's just say that we'll miss her equally, alright?"

"I guess that's fair-" A beat passed, and suddenly a startled look crossed his face. "And hey! I am _not_ a _hundred_ times worse than you!"

She stared at him flatly. "You're completely right. ...I was being generous to spare your feelings. Honestly, I'm surprised you aren't hatching a hair brained scheme to get Starfire to stay, even as we speak."

" _Hey_! The hair brained schemes are Ranma's department!" He held his indignant stance... for all a second. Deflating visibly, Ryouga began to twiddle his fingers around one another in an adorably embarrassed manner. "Besides... I already tried to, but Starfire told me that this was something that she had to do. It's just not _fair_! How am I supposed to do anything if she tells me, flat out, not to?"

Raven nodded slowly in agreement. "As carefree as she may act most of the time, Starfire holds her responsibilities dearly. If she feels that what she must do is for the best of Tamaran, then who are we to try to dissuade her?"

"Her incredibly selfish friends that couldn't care less about a planet a trillion miles away?"

A grin twisted Raven's lips. "Well, that goes without saying. But as little as we may or may not care about Tamaran, we still care about Starfire and her wishes, correct?"

"... _yes,_ " he finally admitted grudgingly. Crossing his arms over his chest, he let out a huff. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, though."

She nodded again. "I don't like it any more than you do, but we still have to accept it. I recommend that we make the best of the time we have left with her and enjoy it as much as possible. I'm sure that's what she would want as well."

Ryouga held his stern looking posture for several seconds before finally sighing wearily and lowering his arms to his sides. Finally, a ghost of a grin flitted across his lips. "I guess you're right. Man, am I glad that I came to talk to you about this. I don't even want to know what I would have done on my own."

"I'm glad that I could help cheer you up," she replied, unable to suppress an impish grin.

"Yeah, I – _Wait just a minute_! I came here to cheer _you_ up!"

She nodded patronizingly. "Of _course_ you did."

" _Hey_!"

* * *

-T-Minus 6 hours—

A shower of sand was blasted up into the air as Beast Boy slid frantically to the side. It was followed by him flipping up into the air, shifting into a pigeon mid-flight, and shooting straight up. A second later, a heavy boulder crashed into the earth, utterly erasing his footprints from the ground, and kicking up a great plume of beach front property as the projectile buried itself halfway into the loose soil.

Bird shifted into gorilla and the changeling came hurtling back down, landing on the boulder heavily enough to shatter the improvised weapon to gravel. In a blur of green he shot forward, shedding mass in defiance of all physical laws, and dropping forward onto all fours. The claws of the emerald cheetah found just enough purchase on the shifting sands of the beach to sprint at full speed, devouring the distance between him and his prey at a blistering pace.

His implacable opponent raised her thin arms up over her head, incidentally, causing her long golden hair to flare out dramatically behind her. Her pale blue eyes met his and he noted the grin on her lips just before it vanished from view; a massive wall of earth and stone shooting up from the ground right before the slender girl and launching a distracting spray of sand and soil out in every direction with the violence of its appearance.

Several responses flitted through his head in an instant, but as was usually the case for him, raw instinct took over and his body was already finished reacting long before his conscious mind even had time to say so much as ' _Buh?'_

He could only imagine the look of shock on Terra's face when the titanic emerald triceratops crashed through the stone barrier like a living locomotive...

Literally, he could only imagine it, as there was no one on this side of the wall!

The terrible lizard began to turn, lumbering limbs shaking the earth with each step, but dexterity was not the strong suit of this shape. Where on earth had she gone-

"Looking for someone?"

Beast Boy had just enough presence of mind to track the voice and look straight down... to where Terra's head was sticking out of the ground! Had he been in his elfin form, he would have squealed in horror at the sight of the wildly smiling cranium as it looked up at him. As it was, he recoiled from the shocking sight-

Or would have, if a pair of monolithic stone arms didn't shoot out of the ground and lift his multi ton bulk right up and into the air. Below him, Terra easily slid out of the ground, revealing that head was still attached to appealing body, and she lifted her hands up again, mimicking the actions of the towering stone appendages that held him aloft.

A second later, the look of victory on the cute blonde's face shifted to wide eyed surprise and she let out loud grunt as his ten-ton mass suddenly began to skyrocket exponentially up to a truly massive one hundred tons. Had he the physiology to do so, he would have laughed out loud as Terra's eyes bugged and her cheeks puffed out comically as his form swelled and lengthened into the sauropod that the Nature Channel had just recently educated him as being named _Argentinosaurus_.

Unliftable object met irresistible force, and the stone arms holding him up began to bow under the sudden shift in load, and long fractures began to appear along their surfaces, corresponding with shotgun loud ' _cracks'_ which snapped the air. Beast Boy watched on triumphantly, preparing a cool one liner to end the fight with-

When suddenly, two more huge earthen arms shot out of the ground, followed by two more a heart beat later. As quickly as the look of exertion on her face appeared, it was replaced again by her look of triumph as the stone appendages, each one as thick as Cyborg was tall, slammed into his belly and began to wrap around his body. Not only did he stop falling, but he began to rise into the air all over again.

It had been a long time since Beast Boy had been afraid of heights, though. With startling speed, a hundred tons shrank to ten grams, and a green hummingbird zipped out from the forest of animated stone. Even as he made his escape, stars danced across the changeling's vision. Even for him, that had been a truly staggering transformation. His heart now beating twenty times a _second_ in his tiny chest, felt like it would burst out of his torso.

It took several agonizing seconds for him to acclimate to his new form and for the black spots to finally go away, but thankfully, it looked like his hesitation hadn't cost him. Far below, on the ground, Terra spun around, left, and right, obviously trying to spot him. All around her, the six stone arms - each one easily five stories tall– formed an imposing ring around her, each one flailing about independently each other in search of his elusive self.

' _She's gotten so powerful..._ ' he mused to himself as he watched with a bit of awe. Each of those arms probably weighed nearly as much as the dinosaur form, he'd just been using, and only now were her eyes even beginning to glow, a sure sign that she was exerting herself. Unfortunately, in her excitement, she was paying more attention to him than to her surroundings. ' _If she's not careful, she could knock over the tower with those things!_ '

Course of action firmly in mind, Beast Boy dove steeply down, shifting from tiny hummingbird to sizeable condor without missing a beat of the wing. He just needed to build up some momentum and then he should be able to get close enough to end the fight with a single strike.

Extreme Touch Tag _always_ lived up to its name.

Too slow! Spinning around, Terra spotted him before he could close the distance! In the blink of an eye, the massive stone extensions of her will burst into action – suddenly dropping down around her with lightning speed and fluidly forming into an earthen dome that would make most fortresses look insignificant.

He shifted into a Tyrannosaurus at the last moment, and slammed into the wall of the dome with earth shattering force... Or, at least that had been the intention. Despite the echoing boom and plume of earth and dust that was blasted into the air, the heavy, Cyborg thick walls barely even trembled at the tremendous impact, and he barely had the presence of mind to shift into a Sloth and latch onto the roughly hewn, curved surface before he slid off and fell to the ground below.

' _Now how the heck do I get through this?_ '

He quickly considered and rejected the idea of trying to burrow through earth that Terra was currently controlling as being stupidly suicidal, even by _his_ standards. If not that, though, then wha-

Too quickly for him to react, the wall directly beneath him suddenly _changed_. Solid stone transformed into shifting sands in the blink of an eye. Rather than pour down to the ground, the sand remained where it was, and Beast Boy began to sink into it. Shifting back to his elfin form, he tried to pull his arms out of the sand, but the stuff stuck to his limbs, flowing up over his gloves like it was alive, and pulling him back into the sand pit. It all happened so quickly, that he didn't even have time to change shape before he was pulled completely under the surface and he was forced to squeeze his eyes shut and snap his mouth closed.

After a few seconds, he felt his lungs begin to burn, and panic started to rise in his chest... and then just as quickly as it had happened, it was over. Bright light cast away the darkness, even through his closed eyelids, and he felt the gentle caress of the ocean breeze on his skin as opposed to the harsh graininess of sand. He took a deep breath, giving silent thanks that he was still alive-

"Tag! You're out!"

When he felt a hand drop onto his shoulder and playfully push him forward. Opening his eyes, Beast Boy turned around to see Terra standing before him. The cute girl was leaning forward, her hands resting on her knees as she looked down at him, and a teasing smile was on her lips. Unfortunately, he couldn’t match her encouraging expression, and looked up at her sullenly. Instantly, the lighthearted look on the girl's face descended into a powerful pout.

"Oh, come on, don't be such a sore loser, B.B. I'm sorry I had to use a dirty trick like that, but it was the only way I could think to catch you! You're just so-" Terra grasped at the air, clasping her hands together several times like she was trying to catch an errant fly. "You're just so _move-y_!"

Sighing loudly, he waved off her concern with a weary gesture. "Naw, it ain't that, Terra. It's just that... well, I thought that getting some training in would help take my mind off ...stuff... but all its doing is reminding me how much I dislike getting hurt."

Instantly, Terra was kneeling at his side, lifting his arm, and checking him over intently for any injury. Even as she started twisting his head around, probably looking for a goose egg on his skull or a nasty bruise of some sort, she anxiously blurted out, "Ohmygosh! I am _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I knew I should have been more careful! I'm still not that great at control-"

Grabbing her wrists firmly, stopping her before she could inflict more injuries than she would find, Beast Boy quickly pulled her down to sit beside him. "No! No, you didn't hurt me, Terra. You were doin' great there, I promise!"

Not bothering to pull her arms back from his grip, Terra stared at him uncertainly, her long golden tresses slipping down to cover one of her eyes. "Are you sure, Beast Boy?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I am!" He paused for a moment, letting the mood sober a bit. "Besides, that wasn't what I was talking about. It's just that getting totally wailed on by a cute girl is just reminding me of Starfire, and that she's gonna be gone soon..."

Terra's face scrunched up adorably. "I'm... not sure if I should be flattered, or if I should be questioning your sanity, here."

He couldn't help but smile and laugh at that. "Given the options, always choose flattered." Taking a slightly more serious posture, he leaned a little closer to the blonde girl, catching her gaze. "I mean, I've practically been killing myself over the past week just to finally tear you away from Ryouga's greedy clutches... But it takes pretty much the worst event in the history of the world to make you finally start paying attention to me."

She stared at him oddly for a moment. "Greedy clutches? Beast Boy, what on earth are you talking about?" The rail thin dropped her fists on her narrow hips and turned her nose up with a sniff. "Honestly! You're making is sound like Ryouga is my _boyfriend_ , or something. I haven't been _ignoring_ you!"

"You so _have_!"

"So _not_!"

"You spent, like, every _minute_ of the last week with Ryouga!"

"Um, _training to control my powers_ , here?"

Beast Boy stopped short. "Oh... um, yeah, I know that." Hmm, where had he been going with this? The start had seemed so promising, but now he could see the smoke from his imminent crash and burn. Where had it all gone _wrong_?

"Wait just a minute there..." Terra's sudden statement drew him out of his blooming panic, and he froze, statue-like, as the blonde suddenly leaned forward even further, eyeing him with an intense level of scrutiny. "Are you acting... _jealous_?"

"What? _No_!" he barked defensively. A moment later, he started fidgeting nervously where he sat in the sand. "Well... maybe just a little... But can you _blame_ me? I mean, admit it! You totally think Ryouga is cute, don't you?"

Instantly, Terra's gaze dropped to the ground and her cheeks began to burn bright red. Twiddling her own fingers now, she shifted back and forth as well. "Well... he _is_ pretty hunky. And resurrecting a girl _is_ an attractive trait in a guy-" Suddenly, her eyes lifted, a fire of indignation lighting in her stare. "And hold on just a second! How is _that_ fair? I _dare_ you to tell me that you don't think Raven is totally hot! Go on!"

Backpedalling quickly, Beast Boy frantically waved his hands in front of him. " _What_? No way! I totally don't think Raven is hot!"

Terra just stared at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, seriously! I totally don't..." Her eyes narrowed and he could feel twin drills piercing his very soul. He only managed to withstand the psychic assault for another second before throwing his hands up. "Okay, _fine_! Raven is totally hot! But you can't blame me for that! The girl is practically lives in a freakin' skintight swimsuit!"

"Ha! I knew it!" Terra cheered victoriously. She then poked him hard in the chest. "There you go, Mr. Hypocrite. If you can leer at Raven all day for wearing combat swimwear, then you _can't_ blame me for... _appreciating_ Ryouga... and those cute little fangs of his."

At that, Beast Boy dropped back onto his butt, crossly crossing his arms over his chest. Letting out a loud huff, he looked off to the side, taking in the glittering sight of the ocean as it washed up on the beach of their small, private island. " _Hmph_! It's not like Ryo's the only guy that's got cute little fangs."

" _I know_." Instantly, Beast Boy's entire body froze, as he felt the warm breath that spoke the words washing over his ear. Slowly turning, his vision was quickly filled with twin oceans of pale blue, Terra's face less than an inch from his own. The girl was on her hands and knees beside him, her chin almost resting on his shoulder, and there was a smile on her face that was threatening to steam his eyeballs up from the inside out.

Moving faster than he'd ever moved before, Beast Boy – not even sure how he managed the feat himself – slid backwards several inches. Afraid that he would spontaneously combust from nervous embarrassment, he frantically waved his hands back and forth, as if he were trying to ward off a vampire.

Only to stop a moment later, a flat expression on his face as he watched Terra roll around, clutching her ribs and spraying out a stream of giggles like she was a comedy lawn sprinkler. It took the _oh-so-funny_ Titan a few moments to regain her composure before she could sit up again. A single wave of her hand caused all the sand to drop off her back and out of her long hair, and she did her best to suppress her smile as she looked back at him.

"I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but you are _so_ fun to tease."

Annoyed now, he crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his nose in the air, mimicking her pose from a minute or two ago. "Yeah? Well maybe now isn't the best time to be teasing people, y'know? I mean... aren't you broken up that Starfire is leaving too?"

He regretted the words the second they left his mouth, as Terra suddenly looked away, her eyes narrowing. "Of _course_ I am! But you're not being fair! I love Starfire to death... but I haven't known her nearly as long as you. You can't expect me to feel the same way you do." She pouted mightily. "She said it's what she wants, and if it is, then I'll support her."

Feeling like a total heel now, for so very many reasons, he nodded sheepishly. "Yeah... I know you're right... about everything. It's just so hard, though. Star has been a part of the team forever. I don't know what we're gonna do without her, and not even getting pounded into the dirt, literally in this case, is takin' my mind off it."

Giving a low 'Awww', Terra wrapped him in a hug. "It'll be okay. You know, there's another reason that I'm not freaking out now, you know?"

"There is?" he asked, genuinely curious.

She nodded excitedly. "Of course! Think about it, Beast Boy. This is Starfire we're talking about. Do you _honestly_ think that Robin and Ryouga are gonna let this happen? There's zero chance that those knuckle heads are going to let her get married to some complete stranger and move to a different star system. If those two aren't already hatching some crazy scheme to get Star outta this, then I'll eat a whole plate of Starfire's homemade Glorrk!"

"...But you love Glorrk..."

"I know. I'd totally eat the Glorrk either way." She rubbed her tummy, eyes losing focus. " _Mmmm_... sushi and ice cream..."

The green teen shook his head. Some people just could not be understood. Still, she did have a point. There was no way that Robin was going to let Star get away. Beast Boy would eat one of his _birdarangs_ if Star stayed on Tamaran.

"Hmm... yeah, you're totally right, Terra." Sitting up straighter than he had bee, finally feeling more confident that everything would be already, he nodded to his companion. "Thanks for that. I'm actually feeling a lot better now."

"Good. You know what that means then?" she asked, sly smile on her lips.

"No. What does that mea-"

" _ROUND TWO! FIGHT!_ " Was quickly followed up by Terra tackling him to the ground.

"Hey! It's _on_ now!"

"Bring it, Green Bean!"

"Consider it brung!"

"Hey! Someone's claws are on my grebnaks!"

"Uh... my bad..."

* * *

-T-Minus 4 hours—

The knock on his door did not surprise him. Even as consumed in his work as he was, it was a knock which he had been expecting. No, expecting did not even begin to explain it; perhaps 'dreading' would be a more apt descriptor. True, it could have been anyone outside his door, however, the cadence of the knock, the almost hesitant pause between them, and another dozen hints besides narrowed down the list from half a dozen to one in mere seconds.

Sighing wearily, Robin closed his laptop and spun around in his seat. As usual, his room was cast into perpetual shadows, the only meagre light present generated by the single bulb of the lamp hanging directly over his desk. If anything, the contrast between the sliver of light and the gloom of the rest of his room just intensified the blackness of his dwellings, especially to those not accustomed to such. He was more than accustomed to it, though. Even more so than Raven herself, he liked to believe.

The shadows weren't his refuge, nor his sanctuary. The darkness was his place of business, it was where he went about his just works. The only person he had met more at home in the night than himself... had been the man who had taught him how to live within it. Perhaps he should have taken more of those lessons to heart? It certainly felt like ignoring one particular speech he had been given, a seeming lifetime ago, was biting him in the ass particularly hard this morning.

Another knock shook him from his reverie. He glared at his gloved hand for a moment, annoyed that he'd let himself get distracted so easily. Clearing his throat, feeling an odd catch there, he finally responded.

"Come in, Starfire."

The door slid open with a silent swish, bathing the room with painful light. Robin was forced to wince and look away as the light washed over him but recovered quickly. The sight of flowing crimson hair, fathomless green eyes and silken titian skin was, if anything, even more painful to see than the blinding light, but in this case, he was unable to look away. If looking at the sun could blind a man, then there were worse stars to have as your last sight.

"...Robin? May I... May I enter your room?"

He nodded, but not too quickly, and waved her in with a weary roll of his wrist. "Sure. Do you need something?"

Taking a few tentative steps into his room, far enough to be fully within his domain, but not so far for the door to automatically close behind her once more, the Tamaranean stared at him with an expression which he could not decipher. "I do not. I was just inclined to inquire whether or not you were feeling 'the ill'."

His head tilted to the side as he regarded her queerly. Luckily, he was used to 'Starfire-speak' and figured out her meaning easily enough. Giving a quick shake of the head, he responded with a note of confusion in his voice. "...No. What makes you think that?"

"Well, it is just that you have sealed yourself within your room since early this morning." The Tamaranean's gaze wandered around the room – Robin found himself wondering just how much her perceptive eyes could pick up on in the gloom. Her hands fidgeted before the purple material of her skirt, her long fingers running along one another before reversing direction when they reached the tips. "With the preparations for the take off complete, Cyborg and Kasumi had begun to prepare a 'Party of the Away Going'?"

She frowned at that, a look of consternation creasing her features adorably. "I had thought the earth term was 'Going Away Party', so their choice of words is quite odd." At that, Starfire suddenly looked up, a gasp on her lips. "You do not believe they were making 'the fun' of me, do you?"

Unable to resist, Robin grinned. Giving a quick shake of his head, he replied, "No, I'm sure it's just some kind of... cultural thing."

Starfire stared at him intently for a moment, her head quirking to the side as she studied him, but finally, she released a satisfied 'hmph'. "If you say it is so, then it must be. Still... if you are not feeling beneath the weather, then... perhaps you would consider joining us?"

Tapping the arm of his chair with a finger, his gaze dropped to study the leather surface intently. "I don't know, Star. There's still a lot for me to do here. It's going to take us nearly a week just to get to Tamaran. I have to do everything I can to make sure that the city will be properly taken care of while I – while _we're_ gone."

Damnit, why was she making this so hard on him? Why was she acting like – like nothing was even happening? Like she wasn't just about to walk out of his life forever... Why had he ever let himself get involved like this in the first place?

Wait another moment. Robin's eyes narrowed as he considered something else. Starfire had hardly even spoken to him for over a week. Not even that, she had been going out of her way to _avoid_ talking to him. Why the sudden change in her opinion of him?

...Even to the Boy Wonder, his pretext for anger felt hollow, meagre justification to avoid what was truly bothering him. Nonetheless, he refused to back down now. It just... it just wasn't fair, to him, to their friends... or even to her.

"But Robin, I implore you to join us. The merry making and emotional stories will be most engaging. I am even preparing a bountiful portion of the Pudding of Sadness to assist in soothing the pain of my departure-"

"Starfire, that's enough," he interrupted more sharply than was required. Even as he said it, he felt something twist in his chest, but he forced himself to continue. He needed to be strong, he needed to do his job. That was his one priority, his only priority. Getting out of his chair, he strode towards the Tamaranean. His approach was so sudden, that she took a few startled steps backwards and out of his room.

"I'm sorry, but there is a lot that I still need to do, and I don't have a lot of time to get it done."

Lifting her hands to her chest, Starfire stared at him, shock in her eyes. The look quickly melted away, though, revealing a hard gaze. Sniffing loudly, Starfire nodded. "I see. I will cease distracting you, then. I have preparations of my own yet to finish and would not want to come between you and your other... priorities."

The alien girl took another rapid step back, her gaze never faltering. "I wish you luck with your _important_ work, and your beloved student."

"Huh?" was all that Robin managed to get out before Starfire was gone, leaving the corridor before his room barren and empty. What had _that_ been about? It had almost sounded like she was mad at _him_ for some reason. How did that even make any sense? He'd been trying to talk to her all week.

"Beloved student? What was she talking about?"

Shaking his head, he went back into his room and opened his laptop.

Unfortunately, he still had one more call to make. One that he was not looking forward to at all.

The things he did for this city...

* * *

-T-Minus 2 hours—

Ryouga stared up at the door, not feeling too sure about his current course of action. To make this point, he turned to his companion and stated, "I'm not feeling too sure about this, Beast Boy."

The emerald changeling stared back at him, honestly shocked at his indecisiveness if the look on his face was any indication. Gesticulating wildly, Beast Boy rounded on the smaller martial artist. "What are you talking about, Ryo? This is probably our last, best hope of getting Star to stay!"

"Well, that's just it," Ryouga replied uncomfortably. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked up to meet the green teen's eyes. "Starfire specifically asked me not to try any more hair brained schemes to make her stay... Also, Cyborg is still way ticked that I tried to 'accidentally' push the T-Ship over."

Beast Boy shook his head incredulously. "Dude, I still can't believe you thought you'd be able to do that. That thing must way, like, a gagillion tons with those huge booster things hooked to it."

"What? Like I'm some kind of rocket scientist? How was I supposed to know that Liquid Oxygen wasn't as light as air?"

The fact that even _Beast Boy_ was rolling his eyes informed Ryouga that he might have been a bit more off base there than he'd thought. The changeling quickly followed up by dropping a hand on his shoulder. "Besides, Dude, you're totally not breaking your 'no hair brained schemes' promise here!"

"I'm not?"

"Heck no, cuz this plan is _totally awesome_!"

Ryouga frowned at that, trying to find the holes in the changeling's logic. No glaring flaws were evident, though, so he held his peace. "Well, I'm already not wild about the first part of the plan, and hair brained or not, it _is_ a scheme to get her to stay. Are you sure she won't get mad?"

"Of course, Ryo," Beast Boy assured him with a confident, fangy grin. "Besides, this isn't just about getting her to stay. You saw how upset she was when she came back to the party."

The martial artist fidgeted. "I dunno... are you sure she was really all _that_ upset?"

Beast Boy lanced him with the flattest of stares – nearly Raven levels which was pretty impressive. "Dude... she stormed in, ate the _entire_ bowl of the 'Pudding of Sadness' and then vanished into her room ever since."

Ryouga let out a pathetic sigh at that. "And yet _this_ is the best that we could come up with after two hours..."

"Hey, shut up! Operation 'Dwight Lightning' is totally off the hook!"

At that, Ryouga shook his fists irately in the air. "And then there's _that_! Why are we calling the plan _that_? It has _nothing_ to do with _anything_!"

"Um, cuz it's an awesome name for an awesome plan?" Beast Boy replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Besides, we're totally gonna hit Star in both of her weakest points at the same time. There's no way that Operation 'Dwi-"

" _Don't_ say it!"

"- ght... Fine, spoilsport." Beast Boy stuck out his tongue and raspberried him for all he was worth. He then held out his hand expectantly.

"Now just shut up and give me one of your headbands already."

* * *

The Tamaranean stared at the object in her hands with some difficulty, as pools of liquid gathering at the corners of her eyes threatened to blur her vision. The crimson material was beautifully ornate and felt quite pleasant to the touch. It was odd that she should get so emotional at the sight of it, having only seen it for a few short days, many months ago. After her heart rending ... discussion... with Robin, though, the scant few memories she had of the implement in question took her back to a far happier time.

The sound of her door opening nearly shocked her completely out of her skin. Moving as swiftly as she ever had, panic fuelling her movements, she swung the item in question behind her back. The bulk of her ill-gotten gain threw her off balance, though, resulting in her standing in a very awkward position when she faced the door, feet far apart, but knees tightly pressed together, and both arms held suspiciously behind her back.

She had not wanted anyone to disturb her at this time! She prepared to impart a section of her brain on whoever had decided to trespass upon her room...

Starfire's eyes widened to the size of emerald-colored saucers at the sight that greeted her: An eight-year-old Ryouga - wearing his normal clothing, which were currently ridiculously too big for him – and holding in his arms a tiny green piglet with a yellow and black spotted bandanna wrapped around its neck.

Holding the tiny green piglet out towards her, the porcine creature's unusually large eyes shimmering with emotion, the juvenile Hibiki thrust out his lower lip in a power pout. His own eyes shimmering with every bit of the same emotion that the piglets were, Chibi-Ryouga spoke in a high-pitched voice.

" _Pwease_ , Starfire... you aren't gonna _weave_ us... are you?"

The piglet let out a low, plaintive _bweee_ , blinking its eyes several times.

Starfire could only stare. Her heartstrings pulled so taunt that she feared her primary blood pumping organ might burst right from her chest in a spray of green ichor.

' _So... **adorable**...'_

Nerveless fingers were unable to maintain a grip, and the floor shook as the item hidden behind her back slipped from her hands and crashed calamitously to the ground.

While the piglet continued to stare at her expectantly, the young Ryouga's gaze slid down to the ground at Starfire's feet, easily spotting the bright red item that lay in plain sight behind her now.

"Hey... that's my umbrella!"

Fear overrode her nearly lethal overdose of the cute, and Starfire dove down, snatching up the ornamental paper umbrella and clutching it possessively to her chest. Taking a few frantic steps back, she turned to her side, trying to hide it once more. " _No_! It is – is not what it looks like!"

Absently, Chibi-Ryouga dropped B-Chan to the floor – the changeling immediately changing back and firing a few unpleasant words back at the martial artist – and the miniature martial artist let out a squeaky laugh.

"Were you in my room, Starfire?" he asked, no longer mispronouncing his words in a tactically adorable manner.

Starfire looked to Ryouga, then to the umbrella, then to Ryouga once more. Finally, she released a sad sigh and held out the umbrella with one hand, unable to even look at it as she waited for him to take it back.

"I apologize, my friend. I did trespass into your personal chamber. I had only hoped to find a... a reminder to take with me of our time together. It was then that I noticed you had several umbrellas such as this stored in your room. I... I did not think you would miss one..."

She felt the umbrella taken from her hand, and forlornly opened an eye to see him – with no small amount of effort – flip the umbrella around in his hands, examining it critically. For some reason, he was smiling quite broadly. "Say, why did you take this one?"

The odd question threw the Tamaranean off balance for a moment. Was he not angered at her theft? "Well... of the three I saw, this was the one which most drew my eye." Reaching out tentatively, she pointed to the elaborate painting of a dragon and a tiger chasing one another's tails as they circled merrily around the canopy of the umbrella. Of course, with it closed, the full painting could not be seen, but the memory of it was still quite fresh in her mind.

"The second one did not appear to be in a state of completion yet," she continued, "And the last one possessed a handle carved from the tusk of a pachyderm, which I did not like at all."

"Wait a sec!" Beast Boy interrupted sharply. "You were making stuff out of _ivory_!"

In an instant, Beast Boy collapsed to his knees, clutching Ryouga's baggy shirt and tears in his eyes. "Say it ain't so, dude! Say it ain't so!"

Looking very awkward now, Ryouga dropped a hand on the distraught shape shifter's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Beast Boy. Really, I am. I... didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. That umbrella is a... it's something of a special order." Still patting the changeling's shoulder, he turned back to Starfire, smiling again. Then, against all reason, he reached out and pressed the umbrella back into her hands. She could only stare at him, wide eyed at the abject generosity. "Heh, don't look so surprised. After all, I _did_ make that one for you, anyway."

"You... what?"

He shrugged. "Well, I had to make a new umbrella for... a friend of mine, so while I was at it, I figured I'd make a new one for myself as well, since the Headmaster destroyed mine. Then, I figured 'What the hey, I'll make one for Star, too'. You seemed to like mine quite a bit way back in China."

The feeling of tears beginning to sting her eyes anew prompted Starfire to sniff loudly. Immediately, she dropped the cherished umbrella onto her bare mattress – prompting the bed frame to snap in half and collapse to the floor – and crushed Ryouga in a hug, incidentally catching Beast Boy in said hug due to his proximity to ground zero.

" _Gah!_ "

" _Merciful Buddha, my ribs!"_

Hastily, the brawny Tamaranean released her spindly companions, letting out a gasp as she did. "I apologize. I neglected to recall the magnitude of my own musculature. You are both alright, are you not?"

Wheezing, Beast Boy collapsed to the floor, clutching a hand to his chest. "...K-Kunou flashbacks... Busted ribs... Burning agony..."

Sucking in breath himself, Chibi-Ryouga just shook his head and nudged the changeling with a toe. "It's... alright, Star. We're both fine, I just forgot that I'm not nearly as tough in this form..."

Giggling in embarrassment, Starfire quickly floated over and swept up her umbrella once more, clutching it to her chest. "I can not express my gratitude over your wonderful gift, Ryouga... but there is one thing which confuses me. For what reason was Beast Boy wearing the guise of a small piglet?"

Sitting up, yellow bandanna hanging loosely around his neck, the changeling offered up a curious look of his own. "Hey, yeah, and how come when I changed back, this thing ended up around my neck instead of on my head?"

The young Hibiki shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno about that, BB, it's just always worked that way for me." He then turned back to Starfire. "And... well, Beast Boy asked me what the cutest animal I knew of. Of course, the first thing I thought of was... well... P-Chan. I mean, you'd be just amazed at how many girls just loved that little guy."

"I call him 'B-Chan!', and I'm at least twice as cute as Ryo was as P-Chan!" To prove his point, Beast Boy helpfully shifted back into the piglet and let out a tiny 'Bwee!'

Instantly, Starfire's eyes doubled in size and she felt her chest tighten up once more-

The Tamaranean gave her head a hard shake. The power of the piglet's cuteness was formidable indeed. Starfire had not trained herself to be able to resist that magnitude of adorableness yet. It also reminded her of something else. Even as Beast Boy shifted back, bandanna dropping onto his shoulders again – and the changeling started fiddling with it, trying to shift it past his face and up to his forehead – Starfire turned to regard the cursed martial artist.

"So, this is what the infamous 'P-Chan' looked like?"

Ryouga nodded. "Pretty much, except for being black instead of green."

She nodded sagely. It was fascinating to finally see this aspect which had been such an integral part of Ryouga's life until just recently. It also warmed her heart to see that Ryouga and Beast Boy had grown so close that he would willingly concoct such a hair brained scheme together...

Slowly, Starfire's sunny smile melted into a frown. Turning a suspicious stare to her companions, she dropped her umbrella onto her shoulder with one hand and planted her other fist firmly onto her hip.

"Which brings us to the second topic of our discussion," she intoned seriously. "Did I not request, quite specifically from the both of you, that you would _not_ enact any further plots to sway my decision to leave?"

Both young males began to shift awkwardly, Beast Boy digging his toe into the carpet while Ryouga ruffled the hair on the back of his head.

"But Star-"

"We didn't-"

She held up a hand to cease any further attempts at explanation. "As I have already stated, I do not desire to leave any more than you desire me to, but the choice is not ours to make. What I do, I do for the best of Tamaran. I had hoped you would understand..."

Starfire gazed at her old friend and her new, her already mild glare softening to nothing. The guilty expressions they wore threatened to break her heart. "...However, that was likely unfair of me. I should not have expected you realize the importance of this to me. Nor should I have expected you to disregard your own emotions; I know this can not be easy for either of you as well."

"No – no, it's okay, Starfire," Ryouga blurted out.

"Yeah, it's totally our fault!" Beast Boy agreed hastily.

Grinning now, she nodded amicably. "I do not disagree. Despite your intent, you _did_ break your promise to me. Recompense must be made for your transgressions."

Both boys swallowed nervously at that.

"W-what do you mean?"

"What could you possibly want?"

Her grin growing into a full-blown smile, Starfire held out her arms expectantly.

"I demand more of the 'B-Chan'! And that both you escort me back to the Party of Away Goings. We must enjoy our time together as much as possible."

Laughing loudly, Beast Boy took a step forward, shifting into his B-Chan form again and leaping up into Starfire's open arms. The Tamaranean quickly juggled about her umbrella and animal companion, slinging the former over her shoulder once more, and hugging the latter to her chest.

To her side, Ryouga muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'Lucky pig', but Starfire did not catch it fully. Before she could ask, the child-like martial artist beamed a smile.

"Alright then, let's get you back to the party and have the best going away party ever."

"Ha! I knew that 'going away party' was the proper terminology!"

She would have to ask Robin why he had misled her so... among other things.

Still, it was good to be surrounded by friends. She held on to that thought with frantic desperation as she allowed Ryouga to lead them out of her room and back to the party.

To her amazement, it only took him a half of an hour to find it.

* * *

-T-Minus 1 hour—

Reaching out her arms, Terra waved her hands up and down pleadingly, trying her best to level a devastating 'puppy dog pout' in the direction of her latest obstacle. Unfortunately for the tiny Titan, her unscrupulous foe was not only immune to her assault but was scarcely even paying enough attention to notice her pout at all. Grumbling to herself, the blonde stamped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest.

" _Kasuuumi_! It's my turn to hold B-Chan!"

The elder Tendo – really, the eldest person in the tower – finally looked up from the little piece of green ham snuggled tightly to her chest and stared blankly at Terra for a moment. The moment passed quickly, however, and the geokinetic was forced to fallback, clutching her hand to her chest, when Kasumi suddenly returned her pout, but with ten-fold the power.

"Oh my, I'm sorry," replied the ponytailed brunette. She glanced down at the transformed Beast Boy, then back up to Terra. "It's just that it's been so long since I've seen P-Chan. I guess I'm just feeling a bit nostalgic is all. Can't I please hold him a bit longer?"

The last bit, said with an especially poignant tone and strategically pouting lips, was too much for Terra; the sheer magnitude of the attack sent her reeling back from Kasumi. For her trouble, she nearly stumbled right back into Cyborg. The massive Titan currently had his arms crossed over his chest and was doing his best to fry up some B-Chan with his gaze alone.

"Heh, I know, right?" she quipped, elbowing him in the... well, the hip was about as high as she could reach. "Kasumi is totally Bogartting the pig."

Cyborg stared down at her, incredulous for a moment. "The pig? Like I wanna cuddle up with _Beast Boy_! At least he's in the right shape at the moment, considerin' how he's takin' advantage of all you gals like that."

Terra rolled her eyes mightily. "Oh, come on, Cy. It's all in fun, besides, Starfire started it. I just wanna snuggle something _cute_!" Pouting, she stamped her foot again. "And _no one_ is _letting me_!"

The titanium teen chuckled at her frustration, before pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. "Well, there's always the Kid-Ryo option for you. Judging by the girl's reactions, eight years old is still in the 'cute range'."

Looking around her teammate’s bulky frame, she spotted the Lost Boy... what she could see of him, anyway. The de-aged martial artist was currently wrapped in the billowing expanse of Raven's dark cloak, his head poking out from just below her bosoms as he looked outwards with a look akin to that of a caged animal. The violet haired Titan currently had her arms wrapped around his neck, her hands resting on his chest – though it was hard to see that with the cloak wrapped around the two of them – and Raven was looking up into space, an embarrassed tinge of red on her cheeks and a hint of a smile on her lips.

Rolling her eyes, Terra waved to the spaced-out sorceress. "Hey, Raven! Can I snuggle Baby-Ryouga ye-"

A snarl which sounded more likely to originate from a Rottweiler than from Raven's delicate throat, combined with a pair of flashing red eyes, sent Terra diving for the couch in terror. Even as she tried to climb into Starfire's back pocket looking for sanctuary, Raven immediately ceased barring her gnashing teeth and once again started looking off into blissful space.

"Tut tut," Starfire admonished Terra, wriggling around in amusement as the blonde girl wildly violated her personal space in search of safety, "It took me well over twenty earth minutes just to undermine Raven's resistance to the youthecized Ryouga's adorableness."

Grabbing Terra and gently pushing her down onto the cushion next to her, Starfire lanced her with a playfully serious glare. "You should not so casually attempt to undo my most Herculean labour."

The tiny blonde crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. "Hmph! What's up with her, anyway? She'd usually rather chew her own arm off than actually hug a guy."

Nodding in a sagely manner, Starfire leaned over to whisper. "This is true... it is also a part of my most nefarious scheme."

Leaning in as well, Terra eyed the Tamaranean and whispered back. "Um... why are we whispering?"

"... Because that is what people do when discussing schemes of utter nefariousness."

Terra's head tilted to the side. "Well, can't argue with that kinda logic," she relented quietly.

Nodding rapidly, and smiling impishly, Starfire replied quickly. "It is quite acceptable for women of our age to hug adorable young children. Thus, by imprinting this knowledge into Raven's brain, we acclimate her to human contact of the 'affectionate' variety."

"...Wait, so what you think you just explained is that you're training Raven to be able to hug Ryouga... by making her hug Ryouga?" Terra's brow crinkled up as she tried to sort through that. "What's the diff? Why not just 'acclimate' her to Ryouga when he's normal?"

"Because, while in this form, Raven may find him 'the cute'," Starfire explained carefully, lifting a single finger between them to point out the point she was making, "In his normal form, Raven finds Ryouga to be ... _attractive_. Surely you understand the difference, no?"

Looking up from their secretive huddle – a huddle which, oddly enough, only Cyborg was paying any attention to – Terra glanced over at the cloaked duo of Raven and Ryouga. Looking at Ryouga in particular, she did note that he was certainly cute... but certainly _not_ attractive.

She wasn't some kind of freaky weirdo, here!

"That... actually makes a weird kind of sense," she whispered, ducking back into the huddle. "Rae would die of embarrassment if she hugged him normally. But... is it just me, or is Ryouga noticeably _not_ totally loving the fact that he's nearly wearing Raven's boobs as a hat? Why the heck isn't he dying of embarrassment there?"

The alien girl giggled knowingly at that. "Tell me, how many young children do you know that enjoy being fawned over by 'the old ladies'?"

Only lightning-fast reflexes allowed Terra to slap her hands over her mouth before she could explode into laughter at the idea of Raven being called an 'old lady'. This action garnered them a few stares, but everyone quickly went back to their own business quickly enough. A second later, though, something occurred to Terra.

"Wait... are you saying that when Ryouga is a kid... that he actually _is_ a kid?"

Starfire shrugged. "He does not seem to lose any of his knowledge, if that is to what you are referring. But I have noticed marked changes in his behaviour during the few occasions where I have seen him transformed. It is not remarkably important... but _so_ amusing!"

"Hey! What are you two talking about over there!" Ryouga's squeaky voice sounded out, immediately eliciting helpless giggles from the pair of females.

"N-nothing!" Terra replied hastily.

"Certainly nothing concerning your adorable self!" Starfire added, having trouble stifling her laughter.

"You better not be laughing at me! Don't make me beat you two up!"

Terra couldn't take it anymore, the slight girl nearly doubled over in laughter at the sight of Ryouga's tiny, bright red face as the rest of him was cloaked by Raven's dark robes. "W-way to prove Star's point, perfectly, Ryouga."

"Actually," Starfire managed between giggles, "His current reactions cast dispersion upon my entire hypothesis."

"Huh?" Terra inquired eloquently. Her head tilted to the side as she looked at the Tamaranean, draping her shoulder in long blonde hair.

"Well," Starfire replied, brushing her own lengthy locks over her shoulder with the back of her hand. "When one contemplates upon it, Ryouga is not exactly the most mature male at the very best of times."

" _What_? Oh, that's it, I'm so gonna-"

Whatever imaginative punishment Ryouga was about to describe was cut off as the elevator door slid open. It was not so much this simple act which so distracted everyone, though, as it was the person that stepped through. And even then, it was not the mere sight of Robin, determined strides carrying him directly to the heart of the room without a single wasted motion, which silenced the irate infantile.

No, it was the stone-cold look on the bird boy's face which gave pause to every person present. Immediately, B-Chan leapt out of Kasumi's arms and changed back to his elfin form, a wary look on his face. Starfire half stood from her spot on the couch, while Terra leaned back further into the piece of furniture.

Without wasting another moment, Robin spun around the instant he reached the center of the group. "It's almost time to go. Is everyone prepared?"

All around the room, faces fell as their reality was well and truly checked by the masked Titan. Nodding, Cyborg leaned back on the kitchenette's island.

"Yeah, the T-Ship is prepped for launch. I can have us in the atmosphere in ten minutes once we're in our seats."

Robin gave a sharp nod, obviously satisfied with that answer. Around the rest of the room, hesitant nods and quiet confirmations were given by Beast Boy, Raven and, of course, Starfire. Oddly enough, to Terra's reckoning, though, Ryouga and Kasumi remained silent. Shrugging her narrow shoulders, the blonde rose to her feet and held up her hand.

"I'm all ready to go, too, Robin. I'm gonna need a convenient beast of burden to get all my luggage down to the ship." She shot a teasing glance in a certain changeling's direction... but was further confused by the odd look on the boy's face.

All around the room, people looked around awkwardly – everyone except one person. Robin walked over to her and dropped a hand on her shoulder, an equally odd expression on his face as well.

"Terra, I... think there has been some kind of misunderstanding. You, Ryouga and Kasumi... you're all remaining here."

Terra felt a sharp 'crack' run through her heart. " _What_?"

She turned to stare at Kasumi, who only looked down, suddenly finding her knuckles utterly fascinating. She then fired a look Ryouga's direction, looking for an explanation for this base betrayal. "Ryouga?"

"Terra, I –" The youthecized martial artist stopped, grumbling darkly at the high pitch of his own voice. He then turned to Cyborg. "Hey, Cy, can you help me out here? I'm trying to be serious."

The cybernetic Titan seemed to get the gist of the cursed kid's request instantly and held up his hand. Said hand quickly went through its familiar transformation, though the result was different than what Terra had ever remembered seeing. Instead of the wide, glowing barrel of a sonic cannon, his main weapon appeared to be sporting what looked like... a water nozzle?

Before Terra could question the unusual sight, a waft of steam started rising from the end of the 'weapon'. This sight, and the unholy smile that formed on Ryouga's face at the sight of it only through the geokinetic girl further off kilter. She had no idea what was going on.

Unlike her, though, Raven seemed to have an idea of what was going on as, just as Cyborg raised his arm and pointed it directly at Ryouga – still clutched tightly in the dark Titan's arms– a shocked expression of realization dawned on Raven's face.

"One super-sized Ryo, coming up," Cyborg stated proudly.

" _Cyborg wai_ -"

And then Cyborg fired his most powerful weapon... and a narrow stream of lightly steaming water shot out of the end of the sonic cannon... The water splashed Ryouga right in the face, and in an odd moment – honestly, the transformation just wasn't that fazing anymore after getting to know Beast Boy so well – Ryouga was back to his normal age and height.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, it was all that Terra could do to clap her hands over her mouth to prevent a gale of laughter from exploding out.

It took Ryouga a second to realize the nature of his tactical error before his face went bright red. But, considering that Raven's arms, which had been loosely hanging around his neck were now sprawled across his chest, and that the violet haired Titan's ... _ahem_ ... _generous_ bosom was now crushing into his back in a most personal way, well... Terra could hardly blame him. The only things which were a brighter crimson in the room were Starfire's hair, Robin's shirt... and Raven's face.

Out of respect for their painfully shy friend's – how could she put it? – compromising situation, all the Titan's present were graceful enough to give the flustered pair a moment to disentangle themselves.

" _Way to g_ -"

Before Beast Boy could make a liar of Terra, Kasumi leaned forward, her hand shooting out with surprising speed, and clapped it down firmly over the changeling's mouth. She then pulled the shapeshifter back against her and then beamed a smile which seemed to say, 'Perfectly normal, nothing to see here!'

A good ten seconds later, and with Raven and Ryouga now standing about a dozen feet apart, Terra finally turned her attention back to the Lost Boy as he looked ready to continue his explanation.

"Terra, I... I-" a puzzled expression settled on his face, "I... have no idea what I was about to say..."

Unfortunately, the Lost Boy had already used up all his obligated mercy for the day, and this time, the room broke out into laughter. Even as Raven's face burned like the sun and she pulled her cloak tightly closed around her, everyone else present couldn't contain their mirth. Even Kasumi held up a hand to cover her mouth as she giggled, her cheeks tinted a faint red. And it was the eldest Tendo that, in Terra's mind, summed up the entire scenario perfectly.

"Oh _my_."

"Alright everyone, that's enough." Robin, proving once again to have by far the most self control of those present, broke up the incessant teasing and turned to face Terra once more. "I'm sorry if you got the wrong impression, Terra, but the T-Ship can only fit five people."

"Yeah," Cyborg chimed in. "I mean, if we had had more time, I could have co-opted Kunou's T-Ship, but at the moment, theirs is still only rated for air and sea, it's not prepped for space travel yet."

Rising from the couch, Starfire drifted to Terra's back and wrapped her in a tight – but not bone crushing – hug. "I apologize as well, Terra. I did not realize that you had misunderstood our intentions in this matter."

"But... but I..." she trailed off lamely, not sure what else to say.

"I know," Starfire assured her, "You wished to be present for my - for my ...wedding..."

The Tamaranean's enthusiasm died out quickly at the mention of the 'w' word, but giving a quick shake of her head, the alien warrior quickly soldiered on. "And I most desperately wanted you to be there as well, my dearest friend. I wanted all of you to be there, you, Ryouga and Kasumi as well, but... but I could not even imagine leaving this world without Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy and... and Robin with me. You can understand that, can you not?"

' _Argh_!' This was why Terra hated math. Numbers sucked, especially when it came to subtraction and division. Of course, she couldn't expect to compete with the original Titans, with Starfire's oldest and closest friends.

Still, that didn't make it hurt any less.

"Y'know," Beast Boy started conversationally, non-chalantly making his way over to Terra's other side. "If you really want Ryo to give you away, or whatever it is you guys do, Star, then, oh, I dunno, maybe _he_ could go, and _I_ could... well... y'know... _stay_? Here... with Terra... for a week or two... alone..."

" _Beast Boy_!" Starfire objected, scandalized. Though, whether she was scandalized by the _implications_ of his statement – Terra felt her own cheeks beginning to burn now – or because he was attempting to bail on going to Tamaran, Terra had no idea. Immediately, the changeling held up his hands, backpedalling like a reverse Tour de France champion.

"Nonono! I was just kidding, Star, just kidding, I promise!"

Slugging him in the shoulder for good measure, Terra nodded firmly. She then spun on the alien girl, gripping her shoulders, and staring at her mournfully. "I get it, Starfire, I really do," she stated, "But – but that means that today might be last day that I _ever_ see you! I – I thought that I would at least have another week or more to get used to the idea..."

She spun on the rest of her teammates, a glare forming for one person in particular.

"And you, Ryouga? Are you fine with this? I thought Starfire was supposed to be like your sister! Are you ready to just let her walk away without saying anything? You're giving up, like that, just because of some dumb tradition thing?"

Immediately, the martial artist's gaze dropped to the floor. "Terra..."

Annoyingly coming to his rescue, Raven stepped up beside the Lost Boy. "Terra, please don't try to make this Ryouga's fault. This arranged marriage might not make sense to you, but Ryouga comes from a country where it is a common practice. He might not like it, but he still has respect for the institution."

Ryouga's eyes shot wide open at her declaration, only for him to start fidgeting madly, trying to do his best to shift behind the cloaked girl and out of sight. For his part, incredulous look on his face, Cyborg lifted a finger. "Umm... Rae? I think you might be forgetting something..."

He looked about to continue, only to be interrupted by Beast Boy, shaking his head in an abjectly sad manner. "Dude... dude, just drop it."

Even Kasumi was rolling her eyes like it was going out of style. And had Starfire just slapped a palm to her forehead? Shaking her head, not sure what everyone's deal was, Terra just turned her attention back to her erstwhile 'master'.

"Ummm... _yeah_..." he replied weakly. "I _totally_ respect arranged marriages..."

Before she could question his odd tone, though, he quickly shook his head, standing straight again. "Seriously though, Terra. A day, a week? I doubt I would ever get used to the idea of Star leaving, no matter how long we had. I do know, though, that however hard this might be for you and me... it's gotta be way harder on everyone else."

The Lost Boy shot a telling look in Robin's direction, but the masked vigilante just looked away.

"If anyone needs the extra time, if anyone should be at her side through all of this... it should be them." Ryouga gestured to the four original Titans in turn, only to point his finger sharply at the cybernetic Titan. "Though that doesn't change the fact that this is all Cy's fault for being too lazy to fix up Kunou's ship beforehand, instead of leaving it for months!"

" _What_! You backstabbing Hibiki! I oughta break you down into bio-diesel!"

"Please, everyone, calm down." Kasumi's words, as only Kasumi's words could, had the desired effect. Instantly, ire's cooled and amusement reverted to seriousness. All but gliding across the room, Kasumi moved to Terra's side, dropping her hand on her slim shoulder.

What was it, pet a geokinetic day?

"I know this is all terribly sad, Terra. I'm going to miss Starfire every bit as much as you-" The Tendo and the Tamaranean shared a brief, emotionally charged glance. "-But try to see the silver lining. You may be staying, but in doing so, you and Ryouga are taking full charge of the city's safety while everyone else is away. Doesn't that show just how much Robin has come to trust the two of you?"

Instantly, Terra brightened at that idea. "Hey, yeah! That means that it's up to us to take care of Jump City! I'm totally done my probation!"

" _Ahem_!"

The semi-vocal interruption drew both ladies' attention to the person responsible. Scratching his chin and looking unusually abashed for him, the Boy Wonder seemed to be having some trouble maintaining eye contact with them. "...Actually... That's not ...entirely... true. You see, I've called in an old friend of ours to come and – and _assist_ the two of you while the rest of us are away."

Even as Ryouga let out an overtly obvious sigh of relief at the idea of them bringing in a pinch hitter, Terra felt her face going red. After everything that Kasumi had said, Robin _didn't_ actually trust her? Why, of all the-

Wise beyond her years, Kasumi released Terra's shoulders and took two long steps backwards. She then shot Robin a pointed look.

"Ah... you're on your own."

At which point, Terra stalked forward, poking a finger right into Robin's big, stupid looking 'R'. "And just _who_ did you get to _babysit_ us while you were off partying it up on some gorgeous alien planet, huh?"

Refusing to retreat in the face of her righteous wrath (approved by Tamaraneans everywhere) the Boy Wonder, for some reason, glanced over her shoulder and to the far end of the room. Annoyed that he couldn't even be bothered to pay attention to her, she looked around to see what he was looking at.

Hmm... that was odd. The number above the elevator was currently counting up, indicating that the elevator was in motion. She didn't remember anyone going down and hadn't really noticed it leave their floor either. So, who was on it?

"Actually, that would be him now," Robin replied calmly, "Fifteen minutes late, no less, but at least he's here."

"Who is _he?_ "

Rather than reply, Robin simply waited as the elevator car rapidly approached its destination. Everyone else, equally in the dark, quickly shuffled forward, crowding around the elevator and its mystery occupant. Their curiosity was not left to simmer long, though, as mere seconds later, there was a loud ding, and the doors slid open of their own volition.

"Hello Titans Tower! Long time, no see, my friends!"

' _My friends?_ ' Terra mused. She was quite certain she had never seen this guy before in her life. Oddly, though, despite her certainty that she had never met him, the newcomer looked oddly familiar. The bright red uniform and bright yellow boots was new, but several small details just stuck out as being _way_ too familiar. The matching yellow utility belt could have been a fluke, the stylized 'S' worn over his breast was pushing it a bit, but the small black domino mask which just covered his eyes?

Terra looked from Robin to the stranger, then back and forth again for good measure. If it weren't for the new guy having bright red hair and a quiver strapped to his back, she could have sworn he was Robin's clone.

" _Speedy_ , dude, how ya been?" Beast Boy exuberantly greeted the archer and was joined as Cyborg stepped forward and grabbed this 'Speedy's' hand.

"Yo, my _man_! It's been way too long!"

Speedy nodded, grinning broadly. "Yeah. I haven't heard from you guys since the _last_ time you needed me to babysit this place for you. God, how long ago was that now? Feels like forever."

Almost unconsciously, all the original Titans in the room turned to look at Ryouga, who, for his part, just stared at the red headed archer cluelessly, obviously not making any connections. Speedy didn't miss the telling looks, though, and did a quick double take as he looked around the room more carefully.

"Hey now, what's going on here? I'm seeing some fresh faces. Looks like some stuff has gone down since last we parted ways. Anyone feel like bringing me up to speed?"

Beast Boy, always the most enthusiastic, nearly leapt forward in preparation to spin the colourful tale of what had happened over the past months-

"Unfortunately, Speedy," Robin interrupted sharply, "We don't have time to catch you up on everything. We'll make introductions on the way to the T-Ship, and then you can get filled in at your leisure once we're underway."

Speedy's eyes widened at the brusque declaration. "Whoa, didn't realize you were in that much of a rush. Well, alright then, let's get this show on the road then."

Stepping back into the elevator, he gestured for everyone to get in as well. Frowning, Terra shuffled in, followed by Kasumi, Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg. She wasn't sure why Robin was acting like such a ... well, like such a jerk.

And apparently, she wouldn't get to ask, when – just before the elevator doors could slide shut – Ryouga, still standing just outside the elevator, suddenly stuck his arm out to bar access to the car. "Whoops, looks a bit full. We'll wait for the next one."

And then, before Terra even had time to protest her teacher and her leader being left behind, the door closed, and the elevator was underway. All she could do was look around and share equally confused looks with all the other occupants of the elevator. It hadn't been _that_ crowded, after all. Maybe Ryouga was still embarrassed over his 'close encounter' with Raven?

Boys were so hard to understand.

"Alright, then! So, who's going to introduce me to these two new super cuties?"

Terra fired a lidded glance in the direction of the unfamiliar archer.

Alright... _some_ boys were hard to understand.

* * *

Robin looked up, curious as to why Ryouga had blocked his entry into the elevator. The slightly taller martial artist lowered his arm, then turned around to face the masked hero-

The Boy Wonder's world was suddenly sent into a tailspin as, catching him completely off guard, Ryouga grabbed the front of Robin's uniform and spun him around to pin him against the elevator doors. Feet dangling over a foot above the ground, Robin had to force himself to stop, his hand already digging into his utility belt before he even realized he was about to counterattack. Considering the advantage of surprise that Ryouga had, and the fact that he hadn't followed up with a finishing blow, Robin realized that this wasn't an attack.

Forcing himself to relax, not the easiest of tasks when someone was crushing you against a wall, Robin looked down at his assailant with a flat expression. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

The bandanna wearing martial artist snorted loudly, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Damn right. I want you to know that you had _better damn well_ bring Starfire back with you!"

Despite the unusual situation, Robin felt the corner of his lip quirk up into a smirk. Crossing his arms over his chest, but beneath Ryouga's fist twisted tightly into the material of his tunic, the smaller martial artist couldn't help but ask, "Oh, is that so? But I thought that you _respected_ the institution of arranged marriage."

"Oh, shut up," Ryouga half snarled, his cheeks tingeing red with embarrassment. "Starfire's parents, or whoever is setting this farce up, can go to hell for all I care. The _only_ thing that I care about, is that Star is _happy_."

"And if she is?" Robin asked leadingly. "What if she falls in love at first sight?"

Even though he was just testing out Ryouga's rather nebulous intentions, Robin couldn't help but notice how his chest tightened at his own question. This new pain had absolutely nothing to do with being crushed against the elevator door, either, but he hid his discomfort with no small effort.

Ryouga's face twisted, uncertainty and indecision wracking him. "If she... I mean, it's poss-" A fierce shake of the head. "Look, that _isn't_ going to happen! _This_ is her home now. There's no _way_ she could possibly be happy getting married to some complete stranger!"

Smirk growing slowing into a smile, Robin nodded. "I agree with you completely... But I have to ask, if you feel _this_ strongly about it... why didn't you say anything earlier? Why only say it to me?"

Slowly, Robin slid down the wall until his feet touched the ground. Sighing wearily, Ryouga's gaze dropped to his feet and he released his grip on Robin's shirt. "I _wanted_ to," Ryouga admitted, "But, well, she treats me like her brother, you know? That means that it's my job to be there for her and support her decisions and that kind of stuff."

The martial artist looked up, catching Robin's gaze. "It isn't _my_ place to object. But we _both_ know that it _is_ yours."

"W- _what_?" Robin asked, stuttering in shocked embarrassment. "Why... why would you say it's _my_ -"

He was cut off when Ryouga lifted a warning finger right before his face. Of course, Robin was not at all worried, as he trusted Ryouga with his life and knew the newest member of the Titans would sooner die himself than hurt him.

...But he certainly did seem a _bit_ upset this day.

"Cut the crap, Robin. Even _I_ know how you and Starfire feel about each other! Heck, even _Kunou_ figured it out, and he's still a little blurry on the whole 'pigtailed girl/Ranma' concept." Ryouga's finger curled back into his fist and he shook it under Robin's nose for emphasis. "I don't know what the heck has been up with you two for the fast couple weeks, but like _hell_ am I going to believe that you're _actually_ okay with this!"

The masked hero shifted uncomfortably, not at all liking being put on the spot like this. Of course he felt... a certain way... about Starfire. And of course, this entire situation was twisting him up inside, but...

But what? Like Ryouga, he had no idea what on earth had been going on over the past few weeks. Starfire had been colder to him lately than Raven to Beast Boy... on a good day. It had been frustrating, and confusing, and painful...

That didn't change the fact that the idea of never seeing Starfire again made him feel like his chest was going to implode at any second. Hell, for her, he would fight Happosai himself, full out and while wearing a bandoleer of lingerie, and not even flinch. So why was he even considering letting her go again? Even for a second?

Smiling seriously, Robin nodded to his contemporary in the warrior's arts. "Alright, Ryouga. I don't think either of us is really the type to talk this kind of stuff over... but you're right. I swear, if Starfire is not _one hundred percent_ happy with this marriage, then I am absolutely bringing her back... no matter what."

"Good, that's exactly what I wanted to hear," Ryouga replied, grinning that fanged grin of his. The grin only held for a second, before descending into a vindictive smile. "Because, if you don't bring her back, _I_ swear that you'll regret it for the rest of your life... both _seconds_ of it."

Chuckling easily, Robin brushed out the wrinkles in his shirt from where Ryouga had grabbed it. Thankfully, the material was not so flimsy as to be ruined by a mere multi-ton grip. "You shouldn't make empty threats, Ryouga."

Ryouga's head tilted to the side, confusion, and indignant anger warring for dominance at the cavalier reply. Robin paid it no heed, though, smiling grimly to himself. Turning around, he hit the elevator button, calling the car back up to the Main room.

"If I don't bring her back... I'll already be dead."

* * *

\- T-Minus 30 Minutes -

The hug seemed to last forever... though at the same time it felt infinitely too brief indeed. Eventually, victims of timing and circumstance, they were forced to part, sliding a step away from each other, though they continued to clasp hands. Melancholy emotions choked at her throat, the bittersweet unexpected loss of her dear friend striking her harder than she would have thought. That didn't stop her from wearing a warm smile, offering up all the care and support that she could generate.

After all, if Starfire could manage a weak smile, then how could Kasumi do any less?

Giving the Tamaranean's hands a tight squeeze, Kasumi almost pulled the tall girl in for another hug but managed to refrain. She was the oldest, and the most mature person in the tower, so it was her responsibility to provide an example of calm acceptance and dignity. As much as she would have liked to, letting herself be overwhelmed by emotions wouldn't help anyone, least of all Terra. So young and impressionable.

With only a small sniff, the eldest Tendo dabbed her sleeve to the corner of her eye and nodded to Starfire. "I'm certainly going to miss you, Starfire. There was still so much that I had wanted to do together, and now we may never get the chance."

The lovely alien girl nodded sadly, her eyes shimmering in the bright lighting of the hangar. "It fills me with great sadness to know that we will be unlikely to venture to the opera as we had planned, or to the Jump City Gardens... or to witness the dancers of the 'Chips and Dales'-"

"Tut tut tut," Kasumi cut in quickly, pressing a finger to Starfire's lips. Leaning in, she offered up a wink and a grin. "That last one was just between us girls, right?"

"Oh, yes, I had forgotten," Starfire admitted sheepishly. "Though, I still do not understand. I know that 'chips' are thin wavers of fried potato, and 'dale' is an archaic term used to describe certain topographies... but how do the two interact in any form of dance?"

Smiling mysteriously, Kasumi replied evenly, "Well, obviously that would be why we would have to go and see, right?"

Obviously the Tamaranean could not argue with that logic, and simply nodded her agreement. The pair shared another quick giggle between them, before turning to regard the rest of their friends. Ryouga had both Cyborg _and_ Beast Boy in headlocks, and Terra was clinging to the metallic Titan's back, apparently trying to assist Ryouga in wrestling him to the ground.

Robin and Speedy were near the loading gantry, exchanging a few last-minute instructions no doubt. Even to Kasumi's keen eye, the Boy Wonder's expression was all but unreadable. It was impressive that he was able to school his expression so well, considering there was enough tension in his slim frame snap most piano wire.

And then... off on her own, Raven watched the proceedings silently. Though her attention was mostly focused on the farewell wrestling match, the dark Titan's gaze flitted across all of them in turn. For some reason, the sight made Kasumi just a tiny bit sadder than she already was. Perhaps she would have to do something nice for the girl when she got back? It would be such a terribly long time, though...

"I am afraid that it is nearly time for us to depart, dear friend Kasumi," Starfire lamented, finally letting go of Kasumi's hands. "There is... something I wanted to speak with you on before I left, though..."

Kasumi's head tilted to the side curiously as she regarded her friend. "Whatever do you mean?"

Starfire fidgeted uncomfortable for a moment, her boots scuffing across the hard metal floors. "It is – I mean... What I wish to say is..." The flame haired girl suddenly swallowed an entire lungful of air before blurting out, “ _IwishthatyouwillmakeRobinhappyinmyabsence!"_

"..." Kasumi blinked... twice. "I... don't think I caught that. What did you say again?"

Taking another, more calming breath, this time Starfire managed to pace herself before replying. The Tamaranean wrung her hands before her, sliding one set of knuckles over the other again and again, but succeeded in speaking clearly. "I have noticed that you have gotten ...close... to Robin over the past weeks," she noted in an oddly neutral tone.

"Well... yes, I suppose I have," Kasumi answered, nodding slowly. She had grown much closer with everyone in the tower, hence why this meeting was so much more painful than she would have thought it to be. Who would have thought that after only a month or two, it felt more like she was losing another sister, than saying goodbye to a near stranger.

"That is ...good..." Starfire stated with a strained smile. "My only request is that you continue to make him happy in my absence."

Well, that seemed like a rather simple request. She knew that Starfire cared very deeply for Robin, so it only made sense that she would want someone to look out for him and help him through this difficult time. "Of course I will, Starfire," she replied earnestly. Taking the Tamaranean's hand, she squeezed it reassuringly. "I promise that I'll make Robin happy for you."

She could probably get Ryouga to help her by distracting him with training. And then maybe Cyborg and Beast Boy with their video games could help cheer him up as well. There were so many things they could do to help Robin cope with his loss... though Kasumi had to wonder if he would ever really get over Starfire.

Starfire returned her nod, her smile strained from the grief. The mighty alien squeezed her hand lightly in return – actually, Kasumi winced as Starfire's grip grew just a _touch_ too tight for comfort – but then Starfire released her hand and spun around, sniffing loudly. Kasumi herself sighed as well; it was so hard to watch her friend in such a sad state.

Unfortunately, despite her wishes, there was nothing she could do to ease her own pain, or that of Starfire. And when Robin finally called out that it was time to leave, there she could only give a small wave of her hand as the Tamaranean drifted morosely away from her and towards the great, orange ship that would take them all away.

All that was left was the goodbyes.

"So... do you guys know how long you're going to be gone yet?" Ryouga asked lamely.

Raven, with her hood pulled back, allowing the bright lights of the hangar to illuminate her face, and set her eyes to shining, shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Cyborg seems to think that we'll be able to make the trip in roughly a week, but even if that's so, we have no clue how long the wedding arrangements might take."

Ryouga sighed at that. At least two weeks away from R- from his friends? His own personal feelings aside, he was afraid for their fair city, more than anything. With only him, Terra, and the mystery bowman to watch it, how could they possibly keep it safe?

...Okay, yeah, that was a complete load. Keeping the city safe was about as far from his thoughts as Tamaran itself. He was furiously wracking his brain to find the _perfect_ , cool, suave goodbye that would totally blow Raven away. At least half a month apart, after he just finally finished with his merciless training of Terra, and had time to hang out? It was like the world was just finding a new, more insidious way to punish him, since he'd hardly gotten lost at all lately.

"Ummm, Ryouga? Are you alright? You... kind of stopped talking there," Raven asked tentatively. The dark Titan studied him with wide, violet eyes, her head tilted slightly to the side, just enough so that a few strands of her short, silken hair pooled on her shoulder-

Giving his head a good shake, Ryouga let off a string of curses in his head. ' _I'm totally blowing it_!'

Quickly waving off her concern, he shook his head in the negative. "Nono, I'm fine. It's just that, well, you guys are going to be gone for so long. I'm really going to miss y-"

Instantly, Raven's eyes widened, ever so fractionally, and he could almost swear that she was rising on her toes slightly, rapt with attention. Wait! What was he saying? He didn't want to sound like some clingy loser!

He'd had _way_ more than enough experience with _that_ from his pursuit of Akane.

"-oouu _all_!" he frantically finished. So, impressed with his last minute save, and wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, he did not at all see the crestfallen look which flitted across Raven's face at roughly the speed of light, nor the way her entire body settled back and seemed to deflate, balloon style.

"Yes, I'll miss... all three of you guys, too," she responded in kind, listlessly looking at the floor.

Growling under his breath, Ryouga could feel his frustration boiling over. It was now or never; this would be his last chance to tell Raven how he-

"Alright, everyone, it's time to go!" Robin's voice echoed across the vast hanger, bouncing off distant wall and ceiling. Immediately, everyone turned their attention in the brightly dressed teen's direction, and just as quickly, people began to move towards the T-Ship.

For a long moment, Raven held her ground, and the pair of them shuffled uncomfortably. Ryouga lifted a hand... only to drop it a second later. Raven opened her mouth, as if to say something... only to sigh instead and press her lips closed once more. Vainly, Ryouga tried to find the words-

And then Raven ducked her head, murmuring a swift apology, and made her way to the loading gantry, with the rest of the people that would be going to Tamaran. And as he watched her go, the martial artist could only groan softly, utterly defeated.

It seemed that all that was left was the goodbyes.

* * *

Speedy watched, mildly interested, as the lengthy procession of goodbyes took place. He had offered up a few quick words to the Titans as well, but it was obvious that these three strange new team members had more to say. It took nearly fifteen minutes, in all, to finally get the Titans into their ship and prepped for launch.

"Ten...," Cyborg's voice echoed out through the hangar's speaker system.

Standing safely behind the safety barrier, Speedy put on his safety goggles.

"Nine..."

The young blonde girl, moisture shimmering in the corners of her eyes, held her hand to the transparent wall before them.

"Eight..."

On the other side of the slim blonde, the dark-haired new guy growled dangerously to himself, clenching his fist in front of his chest.

"Seven..."

The tall brunette woman gingerly slid on her own safety goggles, a melancholy expression marring her otherwise pretty face.

"Six... five... four... three... two... one-"

The thunderous roar of the solid fuel rockets drowned out every other sound on the entire island. Even with nigh indestructible barrier between them, Speedy felt his entire body quake, like standing right beside a speaker at a Disaster Area concert. Reaching up, he quickly slapped the pair of sound reducing headphones over his ears, watching as everyone else did likewise.

The ship seemed to lift off in slow motion, as if it might not even make it off the ground. Even as torrents of flame and smoke exploded out from the bottom of the rocket boosters, billowing down the exhaust tunnel like a runaway freight train, the ship itself rose only an inch at a time. Gradually, though, its speed increased; the T-ship soared a foot, then a dozen, then a hundred and in less than half a minute, it was beyond the now open hangar roof and quickly shrinking away to nothing against the dark, starlit night sky, only the thick column of black smoke remaining as evidence of their passage.

...For a long moment, the four of them just stood there, staring at the now empty sky. It was, it appeared, a very solemn moment. Slowly, his companions removed their goggles and headphones, never taking their eyes off the heavens. Finally, though, the spell broke, and everyone dropped their protective gear back where they had gotten it and left the no longer needed protection of the bunker.

"So... that's it, then, is it?" Speedy asked quietly. "The Titans are off on their trip through the stars."

The blonde girl, Terra if he'd heard correct – and why was that name familiar again? – nodded. She then turned to her companion, Ryouga, he was fairly sure. "Yup, and you know what that means?"

Ryouga shook his head. "Um... not really."

"It _means_ ," Terra stated obviously, before suddenly ducking down. Standing up a second later, she was holding a large pair of backpacks, both filled to bursting. "That _we're_ going _camping!_ "

" _What_?"

"Huh?"

"Wait, what?"

Terra nodded happily, before shoving one of the backpacks into Ryouga's arms. "That's right! I didn't pack all my stuff up for nothing. If I don't get to go to Tamaran, then I'm _totally_ taking advantage of the fact that we got a week or two off from training and patrols and stuff."

"Ah... excuse me," Speedy butted in. "But Robin put me in charge of protecting the city while he's away. I'm sure taking a _vacation_ wasn't what he had in mind for you guys in the meantime."

Ryouga nodded. "He's kinda right there, Terra."

"Pfft! _Whatever_!" Terra barked indignantly. "Robin _obviously_ doesn't think we can take care of the city, since he's bringing in Arrow Boy here-"

The young girl gestured to Speedy for emphasis.

"To take care of the city for him. Well, if he trusts _Speedy_ so much, then he _doesn't_ need us to help." Nodding firmly to herself, Terra hefted her backpack over her shoulder. She then grinned. "Besides, you _know_ you want to go."

The bandanna wearing guy hemmed and hawed for a moment. "Well... it _has_ been quite awhile since I've hit the road, as it were..."

"Ha! I _knew_ it! Hey, Kasumi, you wanna come too?"

"Oh, I don't know-"

"Okay, seriously," Speedy interrupted, growing more frustrated by the moment. "Let me _reiterate_. Robin put _me_ in charge, which means _I_ decide what we're doing until Robin gets back."

Terra and Ryouga both turned to stare at him for a few seconds – only to immediately turn back to each other.

"Well, we obviously can't go _tonight_. I mean, I need to actually pack _my_ stuff if we want to go on a proper camping trip," Ryouga explained patiently.

"Oh, come _on_ , Ryouga! I'm too excited to wait, now. Just the thought of the wide-open skies over my head... It'll be great.' Terra turned back to Kasumi. "Are you _sure_ you don't wanna come? I can make you some of my famous 'Whatever I can scrounge up Stew'!"

"Mmm, I _love_ that stuff," exclaimed the dark-haired guy, chuckling in amusement.

"Oh my, I'm afraid I'm not much for camping, Terra," explained Kasumi, tapping her chin. "However... now that you mention it, your idea just reminded me of something that Cyborg asked about. I have to go look into it, though, to refresh my memory."

"Oh... alright then," the slight Titan replied in a sullen tone. Her mood quickly brightened, though, and she turned back to her male teammate. "Well, it'll still be fun, just the two of us."

Speedy just shook his head. It seemed obvious how things were gonna go here. Well, that was fine with him. He hadn't needed any backup the last time he took care of the city, and butting heads with a pair of newbs would just make things harder than easier. And, at least he still had one person left to help. Speaking of which, he turned to Kasumi.

"Alright then, Kasumi, I think I got the gist of those two jokers on the way down the elevator. Terra's an elemental type, and Mr. Muscles over there is another one of us martial arts types. I don't remember anyone mentioning what your gimmick was. What kind of skills or powers do you got when it comes to fighting crime?"

Pretty much in unison, his three companions all ceased their idle chatting and turned to face him. An uncomfortable silence ensued, until finally the tall brunette held up a finger to clarify. "I believe there has been some misunderstanding. I don't assist in the fighting of crime here. I don't possess any special powers or talents in that regard."

Speedy blinked... twice. "...Um, what? You _don't_ fight crime? Then... what exactly _do_ you do here?"

"Oh, well, I try to help out in any way that I can. I assist with the cooking... and the cleaning, and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up," Speedy interrupted. Holding up one hand to silence her, he used his other to pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "You're, like, the Titan's _maid_ , or something?"

His attention on Kasumi, the archer didn't notice as Ryouga's and Terra's eyes went wide as saucers. For her part, Kasumi began to wring her hands in front of her. "Well, I wouldn't put it _quite_ like that. I _do_ do other things, like... like..."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you do lots of stuff," Speedy stated, suddenly feeling quite tired. "Unfortunately, none of that helps me out in the streets. That's gonna put a few kinks in my big plan here."

Straightening her back, the Tendo woman lifted her chin. "I'm sure it won't be as bad as all of that. As I said, I'll be happy to assist you in any way that I can."

Speedy just stared at the woman, then shook his head. "Well, if you're that eager to help, I could _really_ use a sandwich right now. How about you get on that?"

"D-did this guy just tell Kasumi to go _make him a sandwich_?" Ryouga echoed in disbelief.

Terra just continued to stare, wide eyed. "Oh _snap_..."

Though, for maybe a fraction of a second, Kasumi's body seemed to stiffen, it passed so quickly that it was hard to tell if it had happened at all. She quickly lifted a hand and waved off the duo's incredulous reactions. "No, no, it's quite alright, you two. After all... Ranma asked me to make him food all the time. This is... nothing unusual. I'll take care of it straight away."

"Oh, great, now I've got a mental link between this guy and _Ranma_ ," Ryouga growled in a low voice. He turned back to Terra. "Alright, we're definitely going camping tomorrow, be up by dawn."

Terra's cheer was quite exuberant. "Alright! But, are you _sure_ you don't wanna come, Kasumi? _Really sure_?"

The Tendo woman shook her head, holding up her hand in the negative. "No, no. I think that I might just be able to find ... _something..._ to do while you two are away. Just don't leave before I have the chance to talk to you tomorrow morning, alright?"

"Sure thing, Kasumi!" The slight blonde then grabbed the martial artist's arm and started dragging him forcefully out of the hangar, excitedly going on about the preparations they needed to make. Kasumi studied Speedy for several seconds, an unreadable expression on her face, but she soon adopted a bright, cheery smile and followed the pair a moment later.

Left alone, Speedy dropped his hands onto his hips and let a broad smile fall onto his lips. Yeah, it seemed like he'd been saddled with the scraps from the Titan's table, but that was fine. Having the two troublemakers out of his hair would be better, now that he thought of it.

After all, he had some preparations of his own to make.

The smile on his face nearly doubled in size, almost hurting his cheeks.

Oh yeah, big, big plans indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

The young woman took in a deep breath, relishing the smell of the early morning air. It was, Kasumi reflected, something she would never grow weary of the smell of; the ocean breeze, the light mist of saltwater filling the air and giving her a delightful chill. She almost couldn't imagine _not_ living on a small, private island with over a half a dozen of her friends.

Even though most of her new friends were younger than the family she left home in Japan, they were surprisingly more self-sufficient than her dear father and the Saotome’s. It granted her much more spare time to spend as she saw fit, as the Titans only humoured her desire to take over every single task in the massive Tower to a certain point before they would all jump in and lend a helping hand.

That thought brought a smile to her lips. As much as she loved her family - and she did, so very much - it was nice to be 'one of the gang', rather than the surrogate mother. A sudden shiver running through her body brought her back to the moment.

After all, it was starting to get a bit cool lately, though she had read that it was still a month, or two before the snow would likely begin to fall. As such, she had bundled up in a jacket (borrowed from Cyborg's room as, unfortunately, if Starfire had ever even owned a jacket in the first place, she had taken all her clothing with her back to Tamaran.)

Speaking of which:

"Geez, Ryouga! Are you trying to cut off my circulation or my arm? The straps don't need to be _that_ tight!"

Terra's barked objection only widened the smile on the Tendo woman's lips. Standing before her, several yards outside the door of the brilliant Titans Tower, the young geokinetic girl and her devoted master struggled through the final preparations for their camping trip departure.

"I just want to make sure your pack doesn't slip off when we're on the move," Ryouga countered, concern evident in his voice.

Kasumi covered her unpainted lips with her fingers, fondness and amusement nearly overwhelming her as she watched the indestructible powerhouse that was Hibiki Ryouga, fretting over the slight Terra as if he were preparing her for her first day of school.

Terra, clearly exasperated, spun around, and started swatting away at her mentor's hands energetically. "Come _on_! I've spent a good chunk of my life on the road too, you know?"

Even as Ryouga hastily retracted his hands, Terra crossed her arms over her chest and turned her nose up to sniff loudly. "I'm not a little kid, Ryouga. I don't need lessons on camping."

Instantly, the martial artist's face fell, and his hands dropped limply to his sides. "Terra... I..."

Now, Kasumi decided, was the moment for some timely intervention. The only question was whether she should be serious, or have a little fun with her adorable friends?

She nearly giggled aloud at that thought. As if it was even a choice worth contemplating at this point. Stepping forward, Kasumi pulled another jacked from behind her back.

"Now, Terra," she began smoothly, "We all know that you're a mature, lovely young woman."

Holding out the jacket, she suddenly pressed it into Terra's hand. "Now put on this jacket. You'll catch your death of cold wandering around the countryside in just a shirt."

For just a moment, Terra looked ready to argue, but each time her mouth opened to form a rebuttal, it closed a second later, words failing her.

Finally, the superheroine shook her head, her long blonde hair catching on the breeze and floating about wildly. Not for the first time, Kasumi felt a tiny pang of envy over the simply gorgeous, exotic hair possessed by some of the members of her new family.

Maybe she should try dying her hair? That would certainly be fun!

"But – but isn't this _Beast Boy's_ jacket?" Terra barked, mortified. She spun on her mentor, currently wearing little more than his sleeveless yellow traveling shirt. "And what about him? How come he doesn't need a jacket?"

Tilting her head to the side, smiling serenely, Kasumi nodded. "Why yes, it is Beast Boy's jacket. It's just that he's the closest to your size, and the few jackets that Raven owns are far too nice to take on a camping trip."

Whatever else the Tendo woman might say about the reclusive Titan – most all of it quite positive! – the woman did have impeccable fashion sense... at least when she wasn't wearing that leotard.

The sound of Ryouga's chuckle drew her attention and she levelled a pointed glance his way. "And as for Mr. Hibiki. I would assume that someone _so_ experienced with travelling would have more sense than to wander around outside in the fall wearing a t-shirt."

Instantly, Ryouga's laughter stopped, the young man adopting a rather spot-on impression of a deer in headlights. "Um...but... _Kasumi_ …'

A short pause was followed by an inevitable slumping of his shoulders as he acknowledged defeat. With dejected movements, he began to trudge his way back into the tower.

"Fine... I'll go get a jacket."

"Don't be silly," Kasumi tittered. Taking a single step back to the small pile of crates behind her, she pulled out another of Cyborg's coats. This one was not a fall jacket, like she had borrowed, looking rather more like a parka. This time, it was the martial artist's eyes that widened at the sight of her thoughtful gift.

Unlike Terra, though, Ryouga could not vocalize even an attempt to deny Kasumi's will. A moment later, and with much grumbling, the pair of earth-shaking warriors doffed their packs and began slipping on their coats. It was, Kasumi noted, a major feat to remain perfectly serious and not burst into giggles at the sight.

Finally ready to go again, taking a few last seconds to arrange straps and other minutia, the pair began to offer up some heartfelt goodbyes.

"Please, wait just a moment," Kasumi interrupted them politely. Pointing back to the stacked boxes behind her, she asked innocently. The three plastic containers, a lovely shade of blue and each nearly big enough to hold a mid-sized dog, had been oddly conspicuous for the duration of the conversation. "Which one of you is going to carry all the food I prepared for you?"

"What?" Terra barked incredulously. "You mean all of that is _food_?"

Ryouga shook his head. "I thought you were having me bring down all the week's _recycling_. Kasumi, we're only going to be gone for a week at the most."

Kasumi nodded, grinning impishly. "And no doubt _both_ of you had been planning to show off just how well you could 'live off the land', eating roots and berries the whole time." She fired pointed glances first at Terra, then Ryouga. "However, a growing young woman should have a properly balanced diet... as should a growing young man."

"But... Kasumi," Terra retorted, pointing to the large boxes, "I can out eat pretty much anyone but Cyborg, but even I think that's _way_ too much food for just the two of us!"

The eldest Tendo sister felt a small sweat drop gather on her brow at that. Even after seeing it, she could still scarcely believe it. She had a sneaking suspicion that the... 'slender'... young woman must have a nuclear reactor in her tiny little tummy to eat like that and still be so skinny.

"Well," Kasumi waffled for a moment. "There actually _is_ something else I need to tell you, somewhat related to that issue. You see-"

"Oh, good, everyone's still here!"

For just the briefest of instants, Kasumi's smile faltered, but quickly resumed its former brightness. As one, everyone turned to regard the newcomer. The red headed lad, wearing an unseemly amount of red for so early in the morning, waved jauntily as he approached them.

"I was hoping to catch you two before you left," Speedy continued, nodding towards the pair of expert outdoorspeople.

Ryouga, his own fallen smile having failed to revive as Kasumi's had, offered a grunt and the narrowing of his eyes as response. "Why? What is it?"

For some reason, rather than answer directly, the crimson themed archer lifted his wrist to glance at his watch. "Actually… give it just a minute…"

Rolling her eyes discreetly, Kasumi turned back to Terra and her mentor. "That reminds me."

Digging into her (or, Cyborg’s) jacket pockets, she pulled out two familiar yellow objects, one circular, the other a more familiar hexagonal shape.

"What? Our communicators?" Terra asked, her voice rising a few notches at the revelation. The geokinetic's hands flew to her belt and found the empty holder which normally acted as home for the communication device.

The eldest Tendo sister nodded, holding out the pair of communicators freely. "Yes. I was dabbling with the communications systems last night and noticed they were acting a bit funny. So, I used some of Cyborg's equipment to fix them right up for you."

Nodding, Ryouga snatched his communicator back hastily, quickly examining it for any supposed imperfections. Considering just how weathered, scratched, and beaten up the hexagonal device was, it amused Kasumi to no end when the martial artist let out a silent sigh of relief to see that it was just as he remembered it before slipping it into his own pocket.

"That's cool, Kasumi," Ryouga finally muttered, relief still palpable in his expression. "Thanks a lot."

Handing Terra her much newer, far less banged up Titan Communicator – the slight girl taking it and absently sliding it into its belt holder without a word – Kasumi waved off his gratitude with a simple roll of her wrist. "It was nothing. In fact, I really enjoyed tuning them up properly."

"Yes, yes, that's _fascinating_ ," Speedy cut in. Ignoring the heated glares fired by two of his three new companions, the veteran hero (relative to his present company at the very least), then held up his hand… only to extend three fingers.

"Annnnd… Three… Two… One… _Zero_!"

Counting down with each finger, Speedy ended with his hand curled into a tight fist, only to pump it victoriously into the air upon reaching zero.

"And the Titans are now, _officially_ , out of all meaningful communications range."

The odd statement only served to confuse the gathered reserve Titans further. Not only was it something of a non-sequitur to the ongoing conversation, but the gleeful way with which it was mentioned set the eldest Tendo sister just the tiniest bit on edge.

Ryouga and Terra seemed to share her trepidation. The martial artist responded with another disgruntled grunt, while Terra unleashed a full-on suspicious glare.

Honestly, Kasumi _wanted_ to feel bad over the fact that her friends were letting their feelings for her sway their opinion of Speedy for the worse… but, well, the archer did appear to be something of a… well… a jerk?

"What's the big deal with the guys being out of communication range?" Terra inquired. The young woman's fists were planted firmly on her narrow hips and she was leaning forward, her posture openly adversarial. Her stern look only lasted for a moment, though, before her face screwed up adorably. "Wait just a second. And how can they be outta communications range? I thought all the hero types had intergalactic communication all figured out, or something… don't they?"

Speedy shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, yeah, sure, if you happen to have a Green Lantern or two on your team, that kinda stuff isn't a problem. Contrary to popular belief, though, not _every_ earth-based team of heroes has access to billions of dollars of super/alien technology."

"Actually," Ryouga cut in just a tad smugly, "Starfire has her own communication… thing… that she uses to talk to Tamaran."

For the first time that she could recall seeing from him, Kasumi noticed a slight widening of Speedy's blank white eyes. Panic, perhaps? Enough to even show through his oddly expressive diamond cut mask.

"Wait, she does?" Asked the archer insistently. "Where is it?"

Immediately, Ryouga's superior grin withered away, his chin dropping a few centimeters. "It's… um… with Starfire. On its way to Tamaran."

An explosive sigh signaled Speedy's relief better than any neon sign could have hoped to. Drawing the back of his hand across his bare brow, the scarlet archer let out a bark of laughter. "Whew! You had me worried there for a second. Man, the last thing I need is anyone getting in touch with the real Titans now!"

Bristling visibly, and even baring her teeth in a manner worryingly like her beloved mentor, Terra let out a surprisingly good imitation of one of Beast Boy's more bestial growls. Contrasted with Ryouga's merely befuddled glance, it demonstrated the slight geokinetic's opinion of not being considered a 'real Titan' by the newcomer. Thankfully, her mentor was not so oblivious as he used to be, and dropped a restraining hand on her narrow shoulder, pulling his dear protégé back to his side.

"Alright, so what's the big deal, anyway?" Ryouga asked, his patience growing as thin as Terra's rapidly.

Strolling over, devil may care attitude being flaunted with much aplomb, Speedy dropped a companionable hand on the martial artist's shoulder. Leaning forward, grin growing by the minute, the archer arched an eyebrow.

"Why, only the kickoff of the second Annual 'Whenever the Titan's need me to baby sit the Tower' Party Extravaganza!"

Instantly, Terra's eyes shot wide open, a smile that threatened to consume her whole face alighting on her lips. Clutching her hands to her chest, the young woman bounced up and down excitedly. "A _party_? An honest to goodness, _real_ party? Like, with lots of people and everything?"

Fretting slightly, Kasumi wrung her hands slowly before her. "A party? I don't know about this…"

Ryouga, on the other hand, had a slightly different reaction.

"Hold up. What do you mean ' _Second'_ party? You've done this before?"

Looking more than pleased with himself, Speedy nodded grandly. "That's right." A pause, as the archer lifted his knuckle to his chin in thought. "Well, I suppose technically the last one was back in February or March, so it was still this year, but, what the hey? I like the idea of making new Traditions."

Immediately, Ryouga lifted a hand and started counting off fingers as he muttered silently to himself. "…March? That was back when I met the Titans in China." The reserve Titan pointed an accusing finger at the red headed bowman. "You threw a party while the Titans were stranded at the Amazon village with me?"

Speedy stared at Ryouga queerly for a moment, until he finally shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "Robin didn't mention many details, but the timeframe sounds about right. And yeah, totally threw a party. " A wicked smirk. "Granted, I knew the Titans were still on the line, though, so I had to be careful about who I invited, and how. So, the last one was a pretty small affair."

Stepping back, Speedy threw his arms up and spun around once, laughing loudly. "But _this time!_ With the Titan's out of the system entirely? There's _no limit_ to how many people I can invite! I even know the perfect lady to get the word out! Man, it's gonna be _awesome_!"

"Did you hear that, Ryouga?" Terra inquired excitedly as she tugged on the martial artist's puffy sleeve. "A real party? With _people_! I've always _wanted_ to go to a cool party, just like in the movies!"

The bandanna clad martial artist let out a loud huff, sending his overly long bangs fluttering before his face. "It's always been my experience that big social gatherings are more trouble than they're worth. The only thing I've ever gotten at a big party is a big helping of disappointment."

Kasumi sighed forlornly. It seemed that the young Hibiki was _still_ smarting about the Christmas party. How long ago had that been again? Finally shrugging, she turned to the red clad bowman. "Are you certain about this, Speedy? I don't think Robin and the others would appreciate you taking advantage of their trust like this."

Speedy waved off her concerns with an absent wave of his hand. "Oh, come on. What they don't know won't hurt them. Besides, how often do us teenage superheroes get to do anything _fun_? I'm doing a public service for our industry here!"

"Teenage super heroism is an industry now?" Ryouga asked, a tad perplexed.

"Well, there is a 'Raven' brand of sneakers now, and Cy-B-Q sauce does pay a lot of the Tower's bills last I heard," Terra responded with an impish grin. "There's probably a 'Starfire' line of lingerie in the works out there somewhere… and probably a 'Robin' one too!"

" _Terra_!" Kasumi squeaked out, scandalized… only to pause as a thought occurred to her, “Wait… does Starfire actually _wear_ undergarments when she's not dressed for work?"

" _INSTANT TOPIC CHANGE!_ " The vehemence of Ryouga's outburst was only matched by its volume. The windows of the Tower itself nearly rattled and the slender geokinetic was nearly bowled over, even as Kasumi was nearly blinded by the brightness of the red flushing the martial artist's cheeks in that next instant. Moving with speeds normally reserved for life and death combat, Ryouga stepped away from his current companions, dragging Speedy along with him, the archer's heels digging deep furrows in the sandy soil behind him.

"I _really_ don't think that we should have a party," the Hibiki quickly followed up, his words nearly tripping over one another. "I mean, about the only people with worse luck than _me_ in this world are the people that live in this tower. And you want to gather a few _dozen_ of them together… at once? Do you know the kind of trouble you're asking for?"

Waiting until the unstoppable force finally stopped pulling him around by his lapels, Speedy hastily started smoothing out the front of his suit, obviously frantic to head off any damage that Ryouga's curled fist might have done.

"Sheesh, chill out, man. It's just gonna be a party, not the end of the world." Grumbling under his breath, but grudgingly satisfied that his tunic wasn't permanently ruined, Speedy matched Ryouga's gaze pointedly. "It's gonna be fun, I swear."

Then, sly smile blooming, Speedy suddenly leaned forward, wrapping a conspiratorial arm around the bandanna wearing fighter's neck. Whispering just loud enough for Ryouga to hear, Speedy added, "Besides, do you _know_ how most super heroines _dress_ these days? I promise you, this. Will. Be. _Awesome_!"

Kasumi tilted her head slightly, curious as to just what was being said in the small, two-man huddle. It was quite clear that it was concerning something purported to be ' _awesome'…_ but she hadn't managed to catch the rest of it.

"Besides," Speedy followed up immediately before turning around and gesturing towards Terra, then Kasumi herself. "You two are up for a wild party, aren't you?"

Terra's wild, excited nodding was all the answer she needed to provide.

Kasumi, though, hesitated for a moment longer. It seemed that she was, yet again faced with a moral dilemma. Do the right, proper and boring thing… or the wrong, exciting, and fun thing? She seemed to be running into these situations a lot lately, and recent precedent dictated her answer more quickly than she herself expected.

"Can I invite my sister?" she asked pleasantly.

Instantly, Speedy let out a bark of laughter, grin growing into a full-blown smile. "Kasumi, you can invite anyone you want."

"Argh! Can you at least tell her not to bring Ranma?"

"Hibiki Ryouga!" Kasumi chided sternly. Gracing him with a pointed glance and a point of her finger, she replied matter of factly. "She is allowed to bring anyone that she wants. Including Ranma, and that's the last I'll hear of it."

"…yes Kasumi…" Ryouga's timid reply and deflated appearance was not at all helped by the fact that Terra was currently giggling right behind the martial artist's back.

"Alright, so now that we're all on the same page," Speedy began, taking charge of the conversation once more. He then pointed at the pair of backpack-toting would-be campers. "If you guys are so dead set on ditching us, then at least make sure you get back here in a week. I figure that should be long enough to get the word out properly. I'll set it up for Saturday night, so any of the 'secret identity' types will be able to come out."

"That gives us five days," Terra stated the obvious proudly, "That should be more than enough time to get our 'camp' on!"

Sighing weakly, Ryouga shrugged his shoulders in obvious defeat. "Well… I suppose there's nothing we can do to stop you, since we're ducking out of our responsibilities to go camping, anyway… so why not?"

"That's the spirit!" Giving them pats on the shoulders, Speedy gave one final thumbs up before heading back towards the Tower. "So, make sure you two make it back early Saturday. And don't go too far out in case I need to call you for back up. Have a good trip now."

And with that, the crimson archer departed, leaving the three of them standing in the brisk September air. Kasumi found herself smiling then, just the tiniest bit surprised at the fact that she found herself… somewhat excited at the prospect of a secret party. She could only imagine the kind of people that Speedy would invite. Would she know any of them? Would she have even heard of any of them at all?

"Hmm… you know… maybe that guy isn't as big of a jerk as Ranma after all," Ryouga stated absently, a small smile on his lips.

"Heh, you say that like it's an accomplishment!" Terra replied with a bark of laughter, only for it to be echoed by her mentor.

Rolling her eyes fondly, Kasumi decided against reminding Terra, again, that she had yet to meet Ranma. Still, it was sweet that she respected her 'master' enough to pick up his bad habits as well as his good. A tiny smirk quirked her lips for a fraction of a second.

It probably wasn't _good_ … but it was still sweet.

Speaking of doing good, Kasumi finally remembered just what it was she had meant to mention earlier. She still felt a bit bad about it, but Cyborg _had_ asked her…

"Before you two go," the tall brunette intervened, noticing the pair getting ready to don their travel packs once more. "There is something else I need to talk to you about."

She caught both of their attention easily, and the pair stared back at her inquisitively.

"What is it, Kasumi?" Ryouga asked plainly.

"Yeah, what's the hold up?" Terra asked, her double enthusiasm for camping and partying showing through quite readily in her tone.

At that, the ex-home maker found herself wringing her hands once more, not _quite_ sure how to break the news. The more she thought about it, the more awkward she felt about asking. Even though it had seemed like such a good idea at the time.

"Well… it's just that…" she hemmed and hawed for a moment. "You see, before he left, Cyborg asked a favor of me."

"Um, okay," Terra stated flatly, "But what's that got to do with us?"

"The thing is," Kasumi tried to pick her words carefully, "That while I was doing that favor, I found out that Cyborg owed a favor to someone _else._ But with him leaving for Tamaran with the others, he wouldn't have been able to keep his promise. So, when you said what you were doing last night, I may, a touch hastily, have happened to promise that you two could help in his place."

She winced, not able to meet their gazes, feeling quite guilty over her actions now.

"Wait, so you're asking us a favor to help with a favor that Cyborg asked you… to help with a favor that he owed someone else?" Ryouga's voice was just slightly more amused than good manners would have dictated.

The Tendo sister nodded meekly. "I hope you don't mind…"

"Well, it's kinda hard to say," Terra quipped with a grin. "I mean, you haven't actually told us what the favor is yet. And I'm not sure how we're supposed to be helping you out when we're out on our camping trip."

"Actually, that's it precisely," Kasumi replied matter of factly. "You see, Cyborg and Beast Boy had promised a 'Miss Simms' to go on a camping excursion with a scout troop… or something to that effect. Unfortunately, with all this unfortunate business over the past few days, he wouldn't have been able to do it."

"You want us to babysit a bunch of kids?" Terra asked, obviously skeptical.

"It would only be for two days, just one night, I promise," Kasumi pleaded. Holding her hands to her chest, she donned her most effective pout. It made her feel just the tiniest bit worse to see Ryouga start to crumble almost immediately. "And the children have been so very eager to spend time with some of the Titans."

"Are you sure you can't just wait until Cyborg is back?" Ryouga asked, nearly pleading himself. "I mean, no one even knows either of us."

"I had thought of that," the Tendo sister admitted. "But they've already had to put it off several times, with emergencies popping up at just the wrong time. And now, if he won't be back for at least two weeks, it's doubtful that they'd be able to go until next spring."

The martial artist and the geokinetic shared a long look between the two of them. Kasumi could almost read their minds as she watched the looks flash across their faces. The growing look of trepidation on Ryouga's face was mirrored quite completely by the growing grin on the young blonde's. True, the conclusion had never been in doubt, but it was important to at least make it seem like Ryouga had some choice in the matter. If only to soothe his fragile male pride.

Kasumi nearly giggled at that thought but managed to stoically maintain her concerned façade.

At least, until the fanged warrior suddenly threw his arms up into the air, something of great import obviously occurring to him.

"Whoa! Hold on just a second there!" Ryouga's expression, now one of near panic, matched the tone of his voice. "You want _me,"_ he pointed emphatically to his chest, "To wander off with a pack of _children_ into the _wilderness_?"

"Can you even _imagine_ what could happen?"

Instantly, the aptly named Lost Boy stared upwards, losing himself in a terrified daydream.

* * *

Ryouga trudged forward, his feet as heavy as lead as he dragged them through the desert sands. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the line of his charges – an endless stream of young children from eight to ten years old – stretching on past the horizon.

"Mr. Ryouga, when will we reach the promised land?" asked the lead boy scout.

* * *

Kasumi and Terra shared an aside glance. Immediately, the blonde waif shrugged her shoulders. "We watched one of those old Charlton Heston movies last night."

"Ohhh," Kasumi 'oh'd'.

It was too bad that she missed that. It sounded quite entertaining. The price she paid for spending all night on the computer and in the kitchen, she supposed.

Ryouga clasped his hands to his cheeks, his panic only growing. "Or… or what if-"

* * *

Tiny legs pumped as fast as possible, propelling the troop of small children as they scrambled frantically through the underbrush of the ancient Rainforest. The hot, humid air and desperate exercise left all the boys matted with sweat and grime and they ran for their very lives.

The echoing roar of the great cat gave all the explanation required for the frantic exodus.

Kid-Ryouga, leading his small band of a dozen terrified, sprinting young boys yelled out his favorite curse for just these kinds of occasions. _"Ranma! This is all your fault!"_

Behind him, one of the children cried, nose running liberally. "I just wanted to go _caa-aaa-mping!_ "

* * *

Kasumi and Terra shared another glance, as well as a pair of large sweat drops between them.

"Ahhh… I do believe that there are going to be several girls along as well," the Japanese woman supplied haltingly, not exactly sure how that would make things better herself.

"Girls!" Ryouga's eyes widened in terror. "But then what if-"

* * *

Ryouga ran for his life, carrying three kids on each shoulder and two clinging to his backpack. They blazed across the idyllic meadow, brilliant green grass beneath their feet and sapphire skies above and the sweet aroma of lilacs filling the air. Everything about the scenery seemed to personify the very concept of paradise itself…

Except for the army of angry Amazon warriors chasing after them, a rain of golden spears and golden arrows darkening the sky. That the front row of Amazons looked to be roughly nine year old, toga wearing terrors was totally lost on the fleeing males.

* * *

"Okay, _enough_ with the crazy daydreams!" Terra barked, exasperated. Throwing her hands up into the air, the young elemental stomped an indignant foot to the ground (eliciting a not so small tremor on the island.)

"You are _not_ going to get the entire group of kids lost, Ryouga," Terra insisted forcefully. She pointed a finger to her own chest. " _I'm_ going to be there, too, remember?"

Instantly, Ryouga froze-

* * *

' _Except for the army of angry Amazon warriors chasing after them, a rain of golden spears and golden arrows darkening the sky. That the front row of Amazons looked to be roughly nine year old, toga wearing terrors'_ led now by a golden-haired teenager wearing an abbreviated toga of her own, and hefting an overly large spear, preparing to throw it has Ryouga's unguarded back-

* * *

A clout to the back of the head snapped Ryouga out of his daydream instantly.

" _Don't make me a bad guy_!"

Terra followed her outburst up immediately by pummelling the martial artist's shoulder with both of her dainty fists. "And what's the idea puttin' me in a tiny little toga like that!"

" _Hey, quit it_!" Waving his hands before him in a vain attempt to ward off the young woman's righteous fury, Ryouga quickly backpedaled to gain some space between them.

Kasumi found herself smiling all over again, a wave of nostalgia tinged with homesickness washing over her as the duo continued their indignant squabbling. It was nice to know that, no matter how far away from home she might be, that home would never be quite as far away as it felt. Granted, Ryouga and Terra weren't engaged (nor _would_ they be; Kasumi would make sure to avoid inviting anyone's potentially shiftless fathers around, just in case), but it was still heart warming to see them acting like such good friends.

"Alright, you two, that's quite enough," Kasumi stated calmly, holding up her hands to calm them. Almost immediately, the pair broke up their 'fight' and fell in step. …Well, almost, as Terra would periodically thrust her elbow into Ryouga's side, even as he retaliated by kicking sand onto her shoes.

Rolling her eyes, Kasumi pointed to the martial artist first. "Now, Ryouga, you're being quite silly. Both Terra and Miss Simms will be there to guide the children, so you won't have to worry about getting lost. Just have fun and show them how much you know about camping. I'm sure the children will really learn a lot from you."

Her attention then shifted to the geokinetic young woman. "And Terra, you really shouldn't be ashamed to wear a toga like that. You do have very nice legs, after all."

" _Kasumi_!" Terra's face immediately went beat red, even as Ryouga and Kasumi both began laughing. Wiping a small tear from her eye, the Japanese woman stepped forward and swept Terra up into a tight hug.

"Now, you two go on and have a good week." Pulling back, she turned back to Ryouga. "And Ryouga. Tonight was too short of notice for Miss Simms to organize things, so she is going to meet you tomorrow, alright? Can you please remember to contact me when you find where you want to stay, so that I can tell her where to meet you?"

"Of course, Kasumi. That isn't a problem," Ryouga replied easily. "We'll try to find a good spot for a large group. It shouldn't be too hard."

"That sounds lovely." This time, Kasumi bowed deeply, first to Ryouga, then to Terra. "And, again, thank you both, so very much, for doing this for me. I know that I sprung it at the last minute, so I wouldn't have blamed you if you said no."

"Ha, as if," Terra barked, laughing now. "We're just lucky you aren't asking us to rob a bank for you. Even then, I'd probably be tempted to go along with it."

"Hmm," Ryouga ran a knuckle along his chin, "I never _did_ get to do the Hive Academy mid-term. I heard it was supposed to be a bank robbery, too."

For just a second, Kasumi found herself thinking ' _With Ryouga **and** Terra's powers…_', but quickly shook her head. No, no, that wasn't a nice thing to think about at all. Though… it would be interesting just to see if they _could_ pull it off-

Rapping a knuckle against her head, Kasumi forced the thought from her mind. Noting the odd looks from her companions, she quickly smiled broadly and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I just forgot about something else. Well, it's time for you two to be off. Remember to call me when you arrive at your destination."

Before the duo even had a chance to nod, Kasumi quickly began her retreat to the tower.

Behind her, Ryouga and Terra shared a confused set of looks. Shrugging first, Terra rolled a wrist lazily. "Man, must have been something pretty important. Maybe she forgot to set the PVR for my shows?"

Ryouga rolled his eyes. "And you couldn't have done that yourself? Oh, what a shameful pupil I have!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever ' _master_ '. Come on, let's go already." Looking back at the tower one last time, Terra noticed the trio of sealed containers, filled with food for them and their future guests. "Um, so who's getting the food, anyway?"

Smiling widely now, Ryouga turned and began to walk away lazily. "Just who do you _think_ is getting the food, _pupil_?"

The geokinetic looked from her 'master', to the stack of boxed food that probably weighed more than her, then back to Ryouga's slowly diminishing back. "You know… I'm starting to regret this idea already."

Grumbling to herself, Terra lifted a hand. In response to her slight movement, a loud 'crack' split the air, and a disc of earth beneath the containers rose, lifting the food containers. Then, with the ear grating sound of gravel on gravel, it began to slide across the ground, following closely after Terra as she moved to catch up with the itinerate martial artist.

"Ryouga, wait up… You're going the wrong way!"

* * *

Sighing in contentment, Speedy leaned back into the large chair. Stretching his arms over his head, he interlaced his knuckles before cracking them loudly. A light kick of his foot set the chair to revolving, slowly revealing the entirety of the room as he spun around. Even after all this time, the sheer size of the Titan's tower staggered the young archer.

Certainly, working with a billionaire like Oliver had its perks (obviously not enough to stick around any longer than necessary, but it had been good while it lasted), but even then, he never would have imagined living in such a place as this.

The massive bay of windows, letting the brilliant rays of the morning sun spill in, gave way to the cavernous interior of the Titan's main chamber. Granted, the décor was weak. Reds (which were fine), but a lot of grey, pretty much no decoration, and scant else besides the small kitchenette and the massive semi-circular sofa at the heart of the room. As it was, it was a tremendous waste of space, space with the potential of far greater use.

In his mind's eye, he could see his perfect vision. The room was nearly dark, the intimate atmosphere punctuated only the flashes of colored light angling down from up above. A bass beat so deep that it rattled the ribcage pulsing in the background, inviting – compelling you to move your body. And, of course, the churning sea of nubile young superheroes swaying and grinding to the music.

All the drinks you could drink, all the foods you could food, and an entire tower filled with scantily clad super heroine's just itching to prove that they were just as capable of holding their liquor as their male counterparts.

Scratching his head idly, the crimson archer chuckled. Granted, he had no idea how he could actually get any booze, but it was still nice to dream. As awesome as it was to imagine, he doubted that his gathering would devolve into an orgy of hedonism and debauchery. Probably it would end up more like a high school dance than anything.

Spinning back to face the main terminal of the Titan's equally elaborate and overpowered computer system, Speedy kicked his heels up onto the display console and lazily crossed his hands behind his head. Still, a party was a party, and even without drowning in a flood of teenage hormones, it would still be good to see some of the old familiar faces.

Maybe next time he might even invite the Titan's to one of their own parties. If only to be polite.

The first step for now, though, was to start inviting people. It was already going to be problematic finding enough people to fill even this single room, let alone half of the tower. The very nature of their profession did not lend itself to what could be called 'large peer groups'. Teenage superheroes were not exactly the most common resource on the planet, after all. Even if he invited all the teen heroes he personally knew, he'd be lucky to fill up the couch.

A grin settled on his face. Luckily, he knew someone that was a lot more connected to the community than himself. A relative newcomer, true enough, not even a full year on the job, but she'd made something of a reputation for herself. A veritable mystery, wrapped in an enigma, and gifted with a damn sexy voice.

If one needed to get the word out, and to the right people, then there was only way to go.

Leaning forward, he reached for the phone-

The sound of a throat clearing lightly behind him caught his attention. Glancing back over his shoulder, he noted the tall, Japanese woman standing behind him. No longer wearing the oversized coat, she was dressed in a pale-yellow blouse and a pair of finely fitted jeans. Kasumi's hands were clasped before her and she stared at him intently, head tilted to the side a few fractions of an inch.

"Excuse me. I just wanted to ask-" The older woman hesitated for a moment, eying him evenly. "Are you certain that holding a party is what you should be doing? Shouldn't we be focusing on protecting the city?"

Uncraning his neck and going back to his splendid view of the city's famous bay, Speedy scoffed audibly. Holding up a hand, he extended one finger.

"First off. It's ' _me_ ', not ' _we_ '."

He then extended the next finger. "Second. This city is a piece of cake. Seriously, I've worked in _Bludhaven_ before. There's nothing in this town that's gonna give me any trouble."

Dropping his feet from the console, he replied to the notably non-super woman directly. "No need to worry, lady, I'm still gonna do patrols and whatnot, but that'll still leave plenty of time for me to set up the party. No problems."

Kasumi's head tilted from one side to the other, her eyes still studying him owlishly. "Well, then if you don't want my help with the city, then perhaps I can help with the party? If I can take over some of the host duties, then you'll have more time to devote to the city."

It only took Speedy a moment of studying the demure, proper looking woman to come to a decision. "Ummm, _naw_. I want this to be a cool party, not a knitting circle."

For just a fraction of a second, he could have sworn that the tall brunette's knuckles went white, but it passed so quickly that it was likely just a trick of the light. The pleasant smile on her face never left, after all. If anything, her smile only seemed to grow.

"I can assure you that I've hosted 'fun parties' before," she stated calmly. Leaning forward slightly, she swung her hands behind her, clasping them behind her back. "But if you really don't need my help for anything, well, I suppose that leaves me with plenty of time on my hands."

The corner of her mouth quirked upwards, almost a twitch really, just enough to – again, for only a fraction of a second – make her already wide smile look nearly painful. The idea of free time must have really been appealing to the older woman, though, as her eyes were positively dancing with excitement.

"I'm certain that I'll be able to find _something_ to do with my evenings."

Speedy stared at her oddly for a moment before finally shrugging. Spinning back to the computer, he waved dismissively over his shoulder. "Sounds good to me. If you _really_ wanna help, I suppose you can pick up some snacks, or something. Chips, pop, that kinda stuff."

Behind his back, he could hear his companion's light footfalls as she began her egress. "Of course. I was thinking of heading into town this evening, regardless."

"I just… need to pick up a thing or two first."

And with that, she was gone. Speedy let out a puff of breath, teasing his bangs. That Kasumi was an odd one. Pretty hot, for certain, in an older woman kinda way, but her uselessness to his causes was a bit annoying. He still hadn't gotten a satisfactory answer as to why she was hanging out with the Titans. At least the headband guy and the blonde twig were both _supposed_ to be super types, even though they were unreliable themselves.

Well, them, at least, he could give the benefit of the doubt. If anything did come up, they'd be a call away, after all. He wouldn't mind seeing what the dirt loving duo was capable of.

He still couldn't shake the sense of déjà vu with the blonde, but nothing he could put his finger on.

But that was a matter for another time. Back to the important stuff. Leaning forward, Speedy picked up the phone imbedded into the computer console and dialed the set of digits he'd managed to weasel out of Robin a few months back. He still didn't know how Robin got the number, but the Boy Wonder was tied to a somewhat more infamous mentor than Speedy was, so aggressive information gathering had always been a bit more of Robin's forte.

The phone only rang once.

"Oracle here. What can I do for you, Robin?" The voice was undeniably female, even though it was obviously being run through a few filters. These tech types always went way overboard with the whole 'secret identity' thing. Reminded him of when Robin told him about the week when the Batman had strep throat, or something like that. Talking so growly and gravelly that it had been all the Boy Wonder could do not to fall over laughing.

"Heh, a little off the mark, mystery lady," he replied smoothly. "This is your friendly neighbourhood archer."

"Speedy?" The voice inquired, sounding curious even through the distortion. "Why are you calling from the Titan's Tower? Last I heard, you were in Fawcett City."

"Hmm, you _do_ keep in the loop, don't you?" he replied, quite impressed. He had been in Fawcett, but the lead he had been following had unfortunately dried up.

And, by dried up, he meant 'captured by the 'Big Red Cheese' himself, Captain Marvel, and thrown into prison. Kind of hard for a no-namer like himself to question a guy in lockdown, that much was for certain.

"For the most part, anyway," he corrected himself smugly. "After all, if you were _really_ up to date, you'd know that the Titans were off planet."

"They're what?" came a surprised bark. "All of them? Even their two new members?"

"Well, no, they lef-" He paused. "Wait a minute. You know about Fang Guy and the Waif Wonder?"

He heard her scoff loudly. "Are you kidding? With the uproar on the web from the fact that the Titans are crazy enough to let that Terra girl stay with them after she nearly wiped out the entire city?"

The dose of information struck Speedy with freight train force.

"Whoa, hold on a second." His eyes widened in near panic. "Did you just say that _that girl_ , she's _that_ Terra? The traitor that tried to kill off Robin and the others?"

He nearly dropped the phone, his fingers suddenly feeling numb. Terra, the powerful geokinetic girl that had the power to take on the entire Titan team, _by herself_ , and Robin had left Speedy to watch over her by himself? And the spikey haired jerkass hadn't even thought to _mention_ that fact?

"That's right. Hell of a stupid thing to do if you ask me. But Cyborg has been defending their actions adamantly for weeks now. Says she's getting training with her powers, has changed her ways, the whole nine yards."

The image of the small blonde girl, laughing and smiling as she joked easily with her so-called mentor flashed through Speedy's mind. Now that he thought about it, this 'Terra', hadn't exactly looked or acted like the Terror that the news had painted her out to be. Robin had never said anything about her, one way or the other, so it wasn't like Speedy had had any different viewpoints to work from.

But after last night, and this morning… And Ryouga had mentioned doing some training on their trip. Was he the one that was training her? It suddenly made things make more sense in his mind. Who better to leave the dangerous girl with than with the person that was training her to use her powers?

Though… just what the hell had this 'Ryouga' guy done to so earn the Titans' trust? They only asked Speedy to come in and protect the city from muggers. Yet they had left Ryouga as the sole preventative measure against a city leveling threat like Terra.

Okay, so maybe there wasn't a need to panic yet. Like he'd thought earlier. Benefit of the doubt. That… and maybe keeping the 'big boom' arrow within easy reach in his quiver for the next few nights.

"So, what can ya tell me about this Hibiki guy, anyway? The Titans were in too much of a rush last night to actually tell me anything useful."

"Embarrassingly, not as much as I'd like" Oracle admitted, her voice a bit terse. "The guy's paper trail is spotty, to say the least. And even though he's been with the Titans for months now, they've been keeping him under lock and key for most of that time. From the sounds of it, his first serious mission with the Titans was two nights ago, fighting that Adonis lunatic."

He could hear the skilled hacker typing away over the line. "Robin hasn't volunteered any information, either, and I never got around to asking, since the 'Terra' stuff was a lot more important. All I know for sure is that he's from Japan, is purportedly a skilled martial artist, and that he's somehow related to that Saotome Ranma guy over in Tokyo."

Saotome…? Oh, right! The giant ink demon battle! Damn, but that had been an epic fight!

A pause. Whoa, he remembered just what kind of a fighter that Saotome had been. Calling him a 'skilled martial artist' would be like calling Black Canary, 'a bit of a loudmouth'. Speedy was no slouch himself in hand to hand, but last time he'd checked, he wasn't up to punching holes in concrete with his _head_.

Was Ryouga _that_ kind of guy? If so, then having him in charge of Terra started making even more sense.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember that. So, you figure he's as badass as Saotome? That explains why the Titans brought him in."

"Actually… no. From what little is mentioned in Cyborg's post, and what I've been able to pull from the rumor mills, they didn't bring him in to fight."

"Really? If they weren't looking for a new butt-kicker, then why keep him around?"

"Well, this might sound a bit far-fetched, but he… supposedly brought Terra back from the dead."

Again, Speedy found himself at a loss for words.

"He _what_?"

"You heard me. Like I said, it's impossible to tell for sure. Cyborg uses terms like 'restored', and 'reverse fossilization', which sound like total bunk." He could hear the mysterious woman give a frustrated huff. Apparently lacking possibly critical information was somewhat annoying for notable 'fonts of information'. "But it _would_ explain why this Hibiki guy never got out until recently. If he was spending all his time working with Terra."

Again, the memory of Ryouga interacting with Terra earlier that morning flashed through the archer's head.

… _Nah_.

"I think that one is definitely more fiction than fact, babe. Trust me, _that_ guy is no miracle worker." He chuckled to himself. "Anyway, I'll keep an eye on the both of them while the Titans are away. I called you for something more important than gossip, Oracle."

"You still haven't told me why the Titans are off planet," she reminded him sharply.

He smirked. "Alright, but you can consider this tidbit as payment for the favor you're going to be doing for me, alright?"

"As long as it's good."

Speedy nodded to himself. "Oh, it is. The Titans are on their way to Tamaran. For a wedding."

"A wedding? On Tamaran?" Oracle's voice rose in pitch. "Starfire is getting married? To whom? It isn't to… to _Robin_ , is it?"

Were it anyone else, Speedy could have almost sworn that Oracle sounded caught somewhere between worried and furious. But why would an anonymous information provider care who got married to who?

"No, no. Some alien prince, or _something._ So, Star is moving back home. The Titans are just giving her a ride, so they're going to be out of town for a good two weeks at least."

He was almost certain he heard a silent sigh of relief, but honestly wasn't too interested in his current friend's emotional entanglements.

"Starfire is leaving for good? That's… too bad…" Oracle's voice finally returned to a more even keel. "Well, alright, that seems to explain just a tiny bit of the crazy that's been going on around that place for the past few months. Now what was this about a favor?"

Finally! Time to get to business. He nodded to himself again, though it was a wasted gesture. "That's right. It has to do with the Titan's being away. See, I'm planning to have a – an intimate get together in their absence. So, I want you to get the word out to all the teenage heroes out there and let them know 'Party at Titan's Tower on Saturday'."

"You're throwing a party at Robin's home while he's away?"

"That's the long and the short of it, yeah."

"While he's entrusted you to watch his city?"

"One does not preclude the other, my dear. In fact, imagine how much safer the city will be with so many heroes in it!" He leaned back, kicking his feet up again. It was hard to keep a mostly straight face.

"And why, exactly, would I want to waste my _important_ resources, and my _precious_ time acting as a singing telegram to invite people to this party?" she asked, sounding far less inclined to help him than he was hoping she would be.

"Well… I _did_ just fill in a pretty big blank in your 'all knowingness'. I doubt even the Bat knows that his favorite protégé is out of the belfry." He grinned to himself. "And, of course, you're invited as well. Beautiful women are always welcome to one of Speedy's party."

A light chuckle was his reply. "Presumptuous much? I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I'm not much of a dancer these days." A pause followed by a somewhat baser bark of laughter. "But I suppose I did say I'd help you if the information was good… and it was. Alright, I'll put the word out. I won't guarantee that anyone will actually _like_ you enough to come to your party, but I'll try, at least."

"Oh, ha ha. A comedian, I see. Just you wait and see."

He leaned forward, excitement dancing beneath his domino eye mask.

"It's gonna be _perfect_."

* * *

The dim lighting glinted off the polished, silver surface of the slightly bent fork. The interplay of light and shadow on the small implement's surface only seemed to accentuate the small payload of pale-yellow food it promised to deliver. The smell was of a fine, spiced cider, and the warm, crispy crust nearly crumbled from the force of his gaze alone. Even the small rivulet of melting ice cream as it slid between the steaming slices of apple was nearly hypnotic.

Apparently, the chef of Ben's Roadside Diner knew a thing or two about cooking up a nice apple pie.

Ryouga smiled as he looked around, taking in the décor. He was sitting at a long, wooden bar, the top of the bar polished to a glasslike surface by the sleeves of a thousand hungry and thirsty truckers before him. A wide mirror hung on the far side of the bar, a dingy film from years of smoke, steam and whatever else hung in the air clung to the broad sheet of silvered glass, but it still provided a passable reflection for him to see the rest of the diner.

Sitting at his side, staring at him expectantly even as she held up a piece of her own apple pie, was his golden-haired disciple. Beast Boy's green wind breaker had been draped over the worn, orange stool next to the slight warrior, and her sky-blue shirt took on something of a navy hue through the looking glass darkly. Behind them, various tables, for both dining and playing pool, were spread out across the room. Old styled light fixtures, hanging long, stained glass housings with amusing designs cast an orange hue across the entire room, generating a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

It was a bit at odds with the somewhat rough crowd that filled it. Ryouga noted a few obvious bikers, as well as some large truckers. But not only had Terra not flinched as they entered, she spoke to the waitress like a regular.

"Sheesh, are you gonna eat the pie, or are you gonna ask it to marry you?"

The voice, tight with impatience, snapped the drifting drifter back to the present. He frowned slightly as he noted most of the ice cream had melted off the sliver of pie he'd been holding up, and steam was no longer rising from the apple filling. Glancing at his student out of the corner of his eye, he let out a low grunt.

"Just letting it cool down, student. You really need to learn some patience."

She eyed him before letting out a petulant huff, puffing up her cheeks. Dropping both hands to rest on the edge of her stool, she leaned forward. "Just _try_ the _pie_ already!"

Shaking his head, he leaned forward himself, and slid the fork into his mouth. Chewing on the delicate desert for a few moments, tilting his head from side to side, he noted Terra's eyes going wider as she watched him intently. Finally, he nodded to himself as he swallowed the thoroughly chewed pie.

"Mmm, that wasn't too bad."

Obviously, he must have said something wrong, as instantly, Terra deflated. Spinning back towards the bar, she dropped her elbows on the edge of the bar and dropped her chin onto her upraised the palm before letting out a sad little 'huff'.

"What?" he asked. "It's good pie, I'll give you that. What's the matter?"

Letting out a sigh, Terra turned back to look at him. Picking up her fork, she idly waved it in his direction. "I dunno… I was just expecting a bigger reaction. I mean, when I brought Beast Boy here, he was all, like-"

The young geokinetic scrunched up her face, ending up looking a bit shell shocked. " _This is the greatest pie… in the history of pie._ "

The itinerate martial artist couldn't help but chuckle at the startlingly accurate impersonation. "That definitely sounds like something he'd say." He wiggled his fork back at her, a smirk on his face. "Though, are you sure he might not have been a little influenced by the company he was keeping? You never told me you took Beast Boy on a _date_."

" _It wasn't like that_!" Terra's face went red and she nearly dropped her chin right into her pie, trying to hide her embarrassment. Before he had a chance to tease further (how often did he get to be on this side of the teasing? Like twice in his life?), her expression suddenly sobered. She didn't look up, but she did respond further.

"It really wasn't like that… I mean, it kind of was, but it all just went so wrong." The blonde warrior lifted her gaze to stare at the grimy mirror across from them. He couldn't really place her expression, but it was almost… searching. Was she expecting to see something in the reflection when he couldn't?

"I actually _did_ want it to be like that, but-" Her gaze dropped down to stare at her shoes, her feet kicking weakly against the stool post. "I… don't even know what I was _thinking_. After what I'd done… did I think he was just going to run away with me? I – I -" Her shoulders began to hitch as her voice wavered.

Instantly, Ryouga's frame went stiff. Realization struck him like one of Ranma's fists. Cyborg had mentioned the night when the Tower had been attacked, so long ago. It had been when Ryouga was still trying to gather information to help him free Terra from her igneous prison. His titanium teammate had mentioned that Beast Boy had been absent that night but hadn't had too many details.

Reaching out, he dropped a gentle hand on her narrow shoulder. Caught mid-sniff, Terra nearly recoiled from his touch, but he held her in place, if only to prevent her from falling off her seat. Lowering himself down enough to let him meet her gaze evenly, he gave a small shake of his head.

"You don't need to talk about it, if you don't want to, Terra," he explained quietly. "I understand if you want to keep it to yourself."

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she stared back at him. One of her hands dropped down on his, gripping on with manic intensity. "Do you mean it? You don't mind if I – if I keep secrets from you?"

Giving a loud chuckle, as much bravado as mirth, he waved off her concern with his free hand. "As long as it doesn't involve water balloons, I'm alright. After all, I know better than most, about keeping secrets." He shook his head weakly. "I'll have to tell you about the Koi rod sometime…"

He quickly re-thought _that_ offer.

"On second thought, actually, I'll be taking that one to the grave with me, if at all possible."

"Wait, what's a 'Coy Rod'?" Instantly, Terra's expression shifted from grim to curious. Leaning forward, she caught his gaze with intent inquisitiveness. "What happened?"

He let out a bark of laughter, carefully nudging her back onto her stool. "Now now, no prying into secrets, remember? I think we'll both feel a bit better not knowing about each other's lowest points, yes?"

Instantly, a weapon's grade pout settled on Terra's face, and she crossed her arms firmly across her chest. "Hmph! I never said it was okay for _you_ to keep secrets from _me_! That's not fair!"

"That's the _definition_ of fair!" he fired back incredulously. Giving her a light pat on the back, he nodded to her dessert. "Now eat your pie already. We still need to plan out our trip."

Letting out an annoyed grunt (where did she pick up such an unladylike habit, anyway? He'd have to talk to Beast Boy about that.) she began to dig in. Despite her annoyance, Ryouga could still see a ghost of a smile on her face as she complied with his 'order' to eat her food. He let out an internal sigh of relief, having nearly skirted disaster there.

"Now," he began between bites. Pulling out his map once more, he pointed to a region north of the city. "I think we should head up here, to the forested area north of the city. There should be some ideal camping spots up there."

"What?" Terra dropped her fork before dropping a fist onto her hip. "I don't want to camp in any lame forest!"

Pointing with much aplomb, she indicated the blank stretch of map to the east of the city. "I wanted to camp out in the desert. It's way more beautiful out there, and it won't even get too hot this time of year."

"Yeah, and it'll only get 'slightly' freezing at night," he countered, rolling his eyes. Tapping his fingers to the map again (but not detonating it… yet), he nodded firmly. "The forests will help cut down on the winds, so it will be more comfortable at night."

"Comfortable? _Pffft!_ " Terra raspberried him shamelessly. "I didn't realize we were a bunch of little girls afraid to get dirt under our manicures."

Ryouga just _stared_ at the young woman, but she met his gaze, chin held high and proud and met his look with one that said, ' _I dare you to say what you're thinking of saying!'_

"Besides," Terra added, "There forest is way too cramped if we wanna do any actual training. At least in the desert we can have some fun without worrying about leveling the place."

"Hmm," Ryouga hmm'd. "You actually have a point there."

Of course, and very much unlike himself, Ryouga found it necessary to consider things beyond just himself. "Unfortunately, while _we_ might not be a pair of young girls-" He eyed her tellingly at that. "We _are_ going to be travelling with a bunch of little kids for at least a day or two, remember? And I think they're all expecting a woodland excursion."

"Excursion? What's with the Raven language?"

"Hey, I can watch documentaries, too, ya know?" he fired back in annoyance. Granted, said documentaries were infinitely more watchable in the company of… certain individuals. Not that he'd had any _time_ for that lately, nor _would he_ for at least _two weeks_ with all this insanity lately! Never even mind this complete Tamaranean marriage _bullsh-_

"Hey! You still in there?"

Ryouga snapped back to focus, noting a bony knuckle bouncing off his forehead. Giving his head a shake, he glanced askance at Terra. "What?"

She studied him dubiously for a moment, before pointing to his hand. "Umm, I was just suggesting that, maybe, we spend the first couple of days with the kids in the forest. And then, ya know, spend the rest of the week in the desert. But then you started bending your fork into modern art…"

Looking down, he noted the piece of twisted steel in his hand, the silvery metal wrapping around his fingers like pulled wire. Chuckling in embarrassment, he quickly attempted to unbend the ruined implement.

"Sorry, just got distracted," he assured her. "But yeah, that sounds fine. Training in the desert would actually be the best now that I think of it."

Frowning, Ryouga pinned the end of the fork to the bar with one finger, then pressed his palm down onto it, before sliding his hand along the bar to flatten it out. Once done, he lifted the fork… which was now perfectly flat, and probably 25% longer and thinner than it had been before.

Shrugging, he put it down carefully beside his plate. Maybe they could use an extra knife?

Letting out an annoyed huff of her own, Terra pulled out some money and dropped it on the counter before pulling him off his stool. "C'mon, let's get going. We need to find a place to stay before sunset."

Ryouga let himself get pulled out the door of the diner. "Oh, don't worry, Terra. We've still got a few hours."

"Yeah, and I want to find a good place to set up before those hours are up. I hate setting up camp in the dark," she declared indignantly. Sliding her coat back on, and donning her pack once more, Terra dispersed the stone prison covering the stacked-up boxes of food they'd left outside the diner and willed up another stone platform to drag it behind them.

"Don't be so serious," he chided teasingly. "This is a vacation, not a mission. I mean, didn't I see an Amusement Park not too far from here? I bet we could have some fun there before we-"

" _No!"_

"…Or not…" Too bad, he'd always wanted to try a roller coaster.

* * *

*Beep*

*Beep*

*Beep*

 _Oh my, have Ryouga and Terra finally found a place to stay?_ Kasumi looked up, noting the setting sun in the distance. It was certainly about time that the pair called her. She was starting to get worried that they actually _had_ managed to get themselves lost. Luckily, it seemed, that Terra had been able to reign in her mentor's somewhat notorious direction sense.

Taking a moment to prepare herself – noting the nice breeze in her hair – she took another few seconds to primp before finally pulling out her communicator. Taking a quick glance from side to side and, quite predictably, seeing no one in her vicinity, she ran a finger over the smooth surface of the hexagonal communicator. Unlike Ryouga's, the surface was still flawless and gleaming, having seen little use since she had received it.

Flipping it open, she prepared to greet Ryouga and/or Terra-

"Oh my!" she exclaimed, honestly surprised.

Only for her caller to be neither of the above!

"Tendo Kasumi?" asked the wizened, raspy voice, sounding very nearly as surprised as the Tendo sister, herself.

"Elder Cologne?" Kasumi replied, her surprise now of the pleasant variety. She brushed a few errant locks of long, chestnut hair over her ear as she lifted the communicator closer to her face to hear better. "What a pleasant surprise. It's been some time since we've spoken."

"An oversight which, unfortunately, I have not the time to remedy at the moment," Cologne offered politely. "Alas, pleasantries must wait. I must speak with Starfire, post haste."

Kasumi's eyes widened. Shifting on her uncomfortable perch, she waffled for a moment. "I'm… very sorry, Elder Cologne, but – but Starfire is not available to speak with you."

"Please, this is very important," the ancient warrior intoned solemnly. "If she is on a patrol, or involved in something else, please interrupt her. What I must speak to her of is of the utmost importance to the Village."

That, alone, nearly left Kasumi speechless. She touched her fingertips to her lip, letting out a small, worried gasp. What could possibly be so important that it had the Matriarch in such a state? Granted, Cologne could tend towards the melodramatic just as much as any other of Ranma's friends… but still, this seemed quite urgent.

"I'm afraid that I can't help you," Kasumi insisted. "You see, Starfire left Earth last night. She is currently on her way to Tamaran, even as we speak."

"She is what?" Cologne asked, her voice rising a fraction of a decibel. "Did she give a reason? The timing of all of this… it cannot be coincidence."

"Timing of what?" Kasumi studied the small screen intently, but the wizened Amazon was an eminent master of the 'poker face'. "Starfire is going to be married. Did – did you hear about it from someone else already?"

Cologne's large, owlish eyes widened visibly at her revelation, and her face suddenly expanded to fill more of the screen as she pulled her own communication device closer. "Starfire goes to be _wed_?" The aging martial artist shook her head at that. "No, it can certainly be no coincidence… but I can scarcely believe that she would be involved in such a thing."

"Really?" Kasumi asked, somewhat confused. "Well, it seemed that Starfire wasn't enthused with the idea, but she is a woman that takes her responsibilities seriously. She said that her Grand Ruler decreed the wedding-"

"No, not that," Cologne interrupted a touch sharply. "I mean with the dissolution of the treaty between the Joketsuzoku village and Tamaran."

"Wait, what? Starfire mentioned nothing about that," the Tendo responded earnestly. "And why would Starfire do such a thing? Wasn't she the one that proposed it in the first place?"

At that, Cologne leaned back, revealing darkness behind her… and perhaps a few lights in the background. City lights? It was almost impossible to make out.

"Indeed, which makes it all the more puzzling." Steepling her hands before her, Cologne studied Kasumi carefully. "You say Starfire was told to come home, to be married, but mentioned nothing of the treaty?"

Taking another moment to brush several more windblown strands of hair from her face, Kasumi nodded. "That is precisely it. She received the call early yesterday morning. They have been out of communication with us for most of the day already."

"Hmm," Cologne hmm'd sounding quite wise indeed. "By 'them', I assume you mean the rest of the Titans are with her as well?"

"Everyone except for Ryouga, Terra and myself, yes."

A minute nod. "Ah, yes, the elemental girl. Another oversight which I need to rectify… if only I had the time." A deep frown settled on the ancient Amazon's withered lips. "Unfortunately, this situation is quickly growing from annoyance to mystery, and I do dislike mysteries. I only received word of the treaty's dissolution mere hours ago, and the Council was only made aware by the fact that the Tamaranean cruiser stationed above our village has begun preparations to depart permanently."

Cologne allowed herself a small smile next. "I've been told that it took no small amount of feminine wiles to convince the Captain of the vessel to explain his actions."

Kasumi mirrored the sly grin with one of her own. Though she, personally, would _never_ use her feminine wiles in such a way (…except for maybe once or twice, but those didn't _really_ count), her lessons on the subject meant she could understand the usefulness of such techniques. Of course, that made the entire situation much more confusing. Was Tamaran cutting off all ties with earth? Had they only been interested in their planet as long as Starfire had been living here?

"Well," Kasumi trailed off uncertainly, "I'm not certain what I can do to help you. Asides from hoping you some luck; it seems that this situation is beyond any of our control."

"There are _very few_ situations which are beyond _my_ control, child," Cologne corrected her proudly. "In fact, with what you have told me, I believe there is only one logical course of action to take. Thank you for your assistance, young one, I will not forget it."

Dipping her head politely, Kasumi held up a hand and waved it slightly before her face. "Oh my, no, I did hardly anything at all."

She paused, curiosity gnawing away at her.

"Before you go, though…" She leaned from side to side, trying vainly to peer around the seated Cologne. "Are you… in a city? I thought you were back in the village?"

Expression as cool as ice, Cologne waved a hand dismissively. "I am merely visiting a recently acquired business partner. I plan to return to the village immediately."

At that, Cologne leaned forward, eyes searching for clues. "But if I might ask… why does it appear that you are on a rooftop?"

Kasumi started at that, quickly pulling the communicator closer to her face. "Oh, I was just watching the sunset from the top of the tower, is all."

"Ah, and I made you miss it. Apologies, child. But I must say farewell for now. I have much to do this night."

The Tendo sister nodded politely. "Think nothing of it. I… have a few things to do tonight as well."

And with that, the call finally ended. The small screen flickered to black, and Kasumi clicked the device closed before slipping it back into the compartment on her belt. Smiling sheepishly, Kasumi leaned back on the ledge of the Titan's tower.

She hadn't lied at all, though she'd probably seemed a bit suspicious. Of course, there was the truth, and then there was 'the truth'.

As she said, she did have a few things to do this night, after all.

That in mind, she picked up the black piece of fabric from where she'd set it beside her when she'd received the call from Cologne. Stretching out the elastic material revealed a stark white picture at the center of it, a rough depiction of a skull. With smile widening by the moment, Kasumi slid the mask on-

* * *

Red X leapt up to her feet, enjoying the sensation of the high winds as they caressed her body through the thin, though insulated material of her suit. The breeze cracked through her short cape and whistled over her ear covers, and she loved every minute of it. It had been far _far_ too long since she had been able to come out and play.

It was so genuinely nice that all her friends had made it just too convenient to resist. It was also so nice that _Speedy_ , that primping, preening, egoistical little priss of a hero had been so kind as to give her such a good excuse to get out once more. Oh, the fun they would have.

First thing first, though, she had a thing or two to pick up in town.

A flicker of blackness and a second later, the rooftop was empty once more.

* * *

Cologne turned off the display with a flick of her finger. The ancient warrior then leaned back, sinking into the exquisite comfort of her imported leather conference chair. Though none of the lights were on, her vast office was still illuminated by the light pollution of the metropolis that was Metropolis.

Though, she supposed that she wasn't one to speak of naming conventions. Naming a tribe of warrior woman, 'the tribe of warrior women' wasn't exactly that far removed from naming a city after the number of occupants it had, now was it?

Still, she would have to be careful about that in the future. She'd already allowed Hibiki to catch her once, and now Kasumi. True, she had not actually lied in either case, but then, there was a difference between the truth, and 'the truth'.

Just how interested would Ryouga's new friends be, if they were to learn that Cologne was currently staying in Metropolis? In the employ of one Lex Luthor?

But that was a worry for another time. As much as Luthor offered the village, it was nothing compared to what the alliance with Tamaran, an actual interstellar race, offered. Cologne _had_ to find out why the treaty had been dissolved. And why it had been done in such a disrespectful manner. There was no way that the charming young Starfire would be a party to such an act; at the very least, she would have had the courage to tell them directly if something was amiss.

There was only one thing that was for certain.

She _would_ be on that ship when it left for Tamaran.

Leaning forward, she activated the communication display embedded in her oversized desk once more, entering a frequency be rote. It took only a scant few moments before a familiar face appeared on the screen.

"Lotion, find someone you trust and meet me at the stone circle to the north of the village. I will meet you there in less than four hours."

The young, yet mature looking Amazon warrior stared back across the communication channel, clearly shocked. " _Four_ _hours_? But, Elder, are you not still in Met-"

"Do as I say, child," Cologne ordered. "I _will_ be there when I say."

"And," she added after a moment of thought, "Please collect the following things before you set out…"

* * *

With one last hit from the rock, Terra drove the final peg of her tent into the ground. Standing up, the blonde dropped her makeshift hammer before dusting off her hands, feeling quite satisfied with herself. It had been some time since she'd had to pitch a tent… some time, plus nearly a year on top of that, now that she thought of it.

Tilting her head to the side, she eyed her tent critically. Come to think of it, the camouflage green pup tent _was_ looking a little saggy. The triangular enclosure dipped down a bit in the middle, and she probably could have spaced the spikes out a bit better… but whatever, she'd get more practice over the rest of the week.

Spinning around, she dropped her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly. The clearing they had found to set camp in was spacious, and the full moon overhead bathed them with soft, silver light, nearly lighting up the night completely. Lush grass covered the forest floor, and the tall trees which surrounded the clearing offered some protection from the breeze she could hear whistling through their upper branches. In the distance, she could even hear a stream flowing past. All in all, it was just an utterly gorgeous night.

The sight, sound and smell of the campfire sent Terra's mind hurtling back through an endless stream of memory, countless nights spent beneath the stars huddled up next to a fire exactly like this one. The feeling of warmth on her skin, even from a few yards away, was wonderful, and she took a few steps closer to battle off the chill night air.

On the far side of the fire, Ryouga's tent was already set up. Her mentor chose a more modern style dome tent (whatever happened to tradition, anyway?), and had pitched it right next to the stone enclosure she had created to keep their food stores safe from unwelcome animal visitors. Now, the master martial artist was stacking up some wood next to the fire, carefully bisecting each cord of wood in half, and then in half again with expert swipes of his hand.

Terra found herself scratching her head. How exactly was he doing that again? It wasn't like his fingers were sharp, or anything. Just another one of those odd martial artist things, again, she supposed.

Another sharp ' _crack'_ split the air as he cut the last piece of wood and carefully stacked it a safe distance from the fire. Taking advantage of the lull in activity, Terra paced around the fire to stand over her 'master' and leaned forward, hands still on her hips. Smiling brightly, she addressed her current concern.

"So, what do ya want to do first? Make some Smores? Tell some ghost stories?"

Taking a moment to nudge his pile of wood this way, and then that, aiming for perfection, Ryouga glanced up at her. Serious expression on his face, he replied matter of factly, "The first thing we are going to do, is get some sleep. We've had a long day on the road, and I have a feeling the next few days are going to be pretty busy."

"What?" Terra barked, "But I don't wanna sleep yet. We got a bunch of camping protocol to follow still."

"Protocol?" Ryouga asked, smile creeping onto his face. "Sheesh, Terra, we've got all _week_ out here. We'll get to the ' _row-row-row your boat'_ later. Are you seriously telling me that you're not tired after walking all day?"

"Of _course_ no-" Terra's indignant denial dissolved into a hideously embarrassing intake of air that, to the layman could be confused with a yawn, but most assuredly wasn't. "- _aww_ -ot…"

Her cheeks burnt with heat that had nothing to do with the fire at her side, but Terra refused to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging her slip up. Planting fist ever more firmly on hip, she leaned forward nearly close enough to headbutt the kneeling martial artist.

"I'm _so_ not tired! Let's _do_ something."

Her mentor stared at her evenly for a moment, before that nasty little grin of his resurfaced, one of his oversized fangs peeking out over his lower lip. It was an odd mixture of adorable and dangerous (Beast Boy had a similar thing going, though his mixture was more 90-10, as opposed to Ryouga's 50-50… or Raven's 10-90). Rising to his feet, Ryouga dusted his hands off on his pants before bringing them together to crack his knuckles loudly.

"Well… if you're _that_ fired up… then it would be a waste to, well, waste all that energy." Suddenly, the martial artist dropped back into a combat stance, holding his hands up in a threatening gesture before her. "Night training sounds like a good idea. How about we start with a nice light spar?"

She missed Ryouga's stunned double blink as he finally realised she was already on the far side of the camp again, digging her sleeping bag from her backpack. She did catch him stand up and run a hand through the hair at the base of his neck and release an amused chuckle, though.

"What happened to all that energy? I thought you wanted some exercise?"

Rolling her eyes, she freed the heavy, goose down sleeping bag and began untying the straps. Firing a flat glare over her shoulder, she let out an annoyed huff.

"I've got a headache."

Ignoring the bark of laughter from behind her, Terra started to look for her pillow next. Where had she put it again? She had been sure she packed it… Oh, wait, there it was! Triumphantly, she dug the highly compressed head comforter from the very bottom of the pack and held it above her head. Turning to gloat over her victory, she paused at the unusual sight of Ryouga unrolling his own (synthetic) sleeping bag, right on the ground next to the fire.

Still holding her pillow over her head, she let out an interrogative grunt. "Hey, what are you doing?"

Kneeling to smooth out his dark green sleeping bag, Ryouga gave a simple shrug of his shoulders. "It's far too nice of a night to spend in a tent."

Obviously satisfied with his answer, the older warrior then slid himself into the insulated depths of his sleeping bag and quickly began making himself comfortable. Terra could only stare for a moment, her gaze shifting from Ryouga, to her own sleeping bag, and then to her own tent before making the rotation a second time.

It _was_ beautiful out tonight… but a sharp shiver as an errant breeze cut through her light shirt reminded her of the reality that it was no longer summer out. She didn't want to look like a wimp; if he could sleep under the stars, then she could do it _better_. Sure, she wasn't exactly sure what that _entailed_ , but it was the thought that counted.

The sight of her teacher now completely relaxed, arms stretched lazily over his head and his hands folded behind his head as if he didn't even notice the temperature in the slightest, only steeled her resolve. Nodding firmly to herself, she came to a decision and stuck with it.

She was rewarded with Ryouga's puzzled expression as she walked back over to his side of the campfire and unfurled her sleeping bag right next to his – well, overlapping a few inches, actually – placing herself implacably between him and the fire. She didn't even dignify his questioning glance with a shred of acknowledgement as she crawled into her sleeping bag. It wasn't until she was firmly in place and dropped her head onto his upturned arm for a pillow, that she finally met his gaze.

" _What_?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just wondering if I'm going to need a 'personal boundaries' speech here," he replied with a lazy grin.

"Pfft, as if," she retorted, looking straight up at the stars now. "Get your mind out of the gutter, _master_. It's cold out, is all."

"Oh _really_? So says the girl that wanted to camp out in the desert? Please tell me that you didn't get any dirt under your manicure while you were setting up your tent."

"With all due respect: please shut it, Ryouga."

"Oh, the disrespect I put up with," the human pillow responded, mock hurt in his voice. "This must be how Mr. Saotome feels every day."

Immediately, Terra lashed out with a righteous elbow of justice – only to clutch it back to her side an instant later.

' _Oh, funny bone! Funny bone!_ '

The slight geokinetic rolled from side to side for a moment, before finally turning to glare at her head rest. "You better not have just compared me to _Ranma_ , there," she half growled.

Looking straight up now, and obviously fighting a vain battle to stop from snickering, Ryouga shook his head from side to side a few fractions of an inch.

Grumbling under her breath, Terra spent a minute rubbing her elbow, trying to disperse the annoying sting. Stupid funny bone… it was only funny when it happened to someone else! Gradually, though, the pain vanished, and she could focus once more. Craning her neck just a bit, she looked over again at her teacher, her mentor, and her savior.

Ryouga was staring intently at the heavens. His deep brown eyes, nearly black in the weak moonlight, darted around rapidly, as if searching the stars. Which, in retrospect, was likely exactly what he was doing. Instantly, Terra found herself doing the same, and wondered how it had ever taken her so long to realize why he had chosen to sleep under the stars.

Their long trek suddenly made more sense. An entire day of walking, getting as far away from the city as possible for two vaguely superhuman people. Out this far, there was hardly any light pollution at all, and the night sky was a brilliant tapestry; millions of points of light stretched across an infinite velvet cloth. There was the big dipper, too…

"Which one do you think is Tamaran?" she asked, her voice barely audible over the crackling of the fire.

With his free arm, Ryouga pointed a single finger to the void of the universe. "I think… it's that one," he stated, pointing to a single bright speck in the sky.

"…That's the north star, Ryouga."

"What? I thought _that_ was the north star?" he inquired, pointing to a completely different celestial body.

"Ryouga… that's a plane…"

He glared at her out of the corner of his eye. "It is not. I've seen that constellation plenty of times."

"Wha- _Ryouga_ , it's _blinking_! …And _moving_!"

He looked at her owlishly, an adorably clueless expression on his face. "Well… yeah. How else are you supposed to use it navigate by? Haven't you heard the expression 'Follow the North Star'?"

Terra's cheeks puffed up with irrational, indignant fury… only for her incredulous annoyance to deflate like a pricked balloon. Letting out an annoyed sigh, she settled for glaring at him, the cheeky grin he was failing utterly to hide giving him away completely.

"You're just _teasing_ me! Not even _you_ are _that_ clueless."

He managed to hold onto his blank stare for another few seconds before finally dissolving into a few silent chuckles. He gave a single nod. "Yeah, but I almost had you there. Actually, if Starfire is right, then it's easy to find. The Vegan star is the main star of the Swan constellation. It's actually the fifth brightest star in the sky, on account of how close it is."

Terra's eyes grew wide with wonder. Absently, she lifted her own hand and gently nudged Ryouga's finger from the star on Orion's belt over to the actual Lyra constellation. She could see it so clearly now, the bright point of light that stood out amongst all its neighbours. It was mystifying to imagine. All this time, the entire time she had known Starfire, and she hadn't even realized that she had looked up at her friend's home a thousand different times over her life.

It was a bit humbling. She could almost imagine a tiny, tiny speck at the center of the distant star, now. Perhaps the shadow of a T-Ship arrowing through the dark, homing in on that distant point of light.

"So, how do you think they're all doing?" Terra asked softly.

* * *

"Cyborg?"

"Yes, Raven?"

"Where did you install the 'rest room' feature again?"

"The… 'what room' feature?"

"…There is no word for the hatred I feel at this moment."

* * *

Ryouga waved his hand absently. "I'm sure they're doing fine. You know Cyborg, he always thinks of everything."

Terra nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Kinda silly to be getting worried at this point, anyway. How many millions of miles away are they right now, anyway?"

"More than I can count," the martial artist admitted with a wry grin. "It's hard to imagine. All of them being so far away. I mean, just a year ago, the thought of even travelling by plane was nearly foreign to me… and now I live with people that can traverse the stars themselves."

"It's hard to imagine," Terra countered quietly, "That we're never going to see Starfire again…"

Her mentor gave a lethargic nod. His eyes shone in the starlight - unshed tears, perhaps? – as he studied the night sky. She still wasn't exactly sure just what Ryouga's relationship with Starfire had been. Sure, Terra had liked Starfire a lot. She was fun, and happy, and treated her like a real friend, everything Terra had always wanted in a friend.

But Ryouga and Starfire seemed to have something… beyond that, and it didn't really make any sense. It was obvious that there was a thing between Raven and Ryouga, after all (no accounting for taste, it appeared), and whatever that thing was, it was far more in line with the 'boy meets girl' kind of relationship that Terra knew about. But the Tamaranean and the martial artist couldn't seem to decide whether they were coming or going. Thick as thieves one second, but completely chaste the next.

Granted, her own botched attempt at a love life wasn't exactly much better. The less that she thought about that at the moment, the better, though. They were supposed to be on this trip to have fun, after all, not mope after cute members of the opposite sex that would be absent for the foreseeable future.

"Ryouga…"

"Yes, Terra?"

"What are ya thinking about?"

Ryouga shifted slightly, forcing her to lift her head and slide up a bit to get comfortable again. Glancing over out of the corner of her eye, she saw he take in a deep breath before replying.

"Just imagining what we're going to do when they get back from Tamaran," he muttered wistfully. "I can just imagine the huge meal Kasumi will make to celebrate."

Terra nodded energetically at that. Clutching her sleeping bag more tightly to her chest, she giggled. "Yeah, that'll be awesome!"

"And how Robin will probably flay us alive for skipping work and throwing parties instead of protecting the city."

She giggled again. The threat was still far enough off in the future that it was amusing.

"Oh yeah. _Really_ looking forward to that."

"And then how you'll be so happy to see Beast Boy that you'll drag him off to make out all night."

"Yeah, I-" Suddenly, the Lost Boy's words caught up with her. Bolting upright, Terra let out a high-pitched squeal and started pummeling Ryouga's chest with small fists. " _Ry-o-ga! Gross!"_

Laughing earnestly now, but not bothering to defend himself in the slightest, her mentor just shook his head from side to side.

"Why would you even _say that_?" she asked, still red faced and scandalized.

"Heh, sorry. …Just seemed like what Jinx would say right there."

That caused Terra to pause right there. Propping herself up with an arm, so that she was half laying, half leaning over Ryouga, she studied her mysterious master with an appraising eye.

"Ryouga… Just what does this Jinx girl mean to you, anyway?"

"Excuse me?" he replied, sounding put on the spot.

She rolled her free hand absently. "Well, you never really talk about her, but I remember how you acted when you saw her during that fight with the Crocodile guy."

Leaning forward, she dropped her free hand on his chest to hold herself up. "It's pretty obvious that you like her. And I mean _like_."

"I-I-I'm not sure what you mea-"

Ignoring his stuttering denial, she tilted her head to the side. "But then you got your whole deal with Raven going on, too. So, what does that make Jinx? The ex-girlfriend you still pine for, or the one that got away?"

Piercing him with a stare that demanded answers, she leaned more of her weight on his chest, wanting to keep the pressure on him.

"I mean… you've never even mentioned how you met Jinx. Or how you got to know her." She leaned forward even further, her eyes growing wider as another question struck her.

"Do you – do you like Jinx _more_ than Raven?"

Finally, Ryouga had had enough. Sitting up forcefully, he gently placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back and away from him. He was unable to meet her gaze, however, and stared intently at the sleeping bag pooled around his waist.

"Terra, please."

Something about his words, the way his voice nearly broke when he said them, shocked the geokinetic into silence. She didn't even move as he released her shoulders, only to lay down once more, this time on his side, his back to her. The simple gesture spoke volumes, and suddenly Terra wanted to kick herself for prying so hard.

"It's… complicated…" he added in a whisper, his back still facing her.

Sighing sadly, Terra nodded in agreement. It certainly was. It all was.

Still staring at his broad back, Terra laid back down, rolling onto her side as well. She almost reached out, feeling an odd desire to put her hand on his shoulder, if only to give him a consoling pat… but it didn't seem like the right thing to do now. As odd as it seemed, with all the time they had spent together lately, there was still so much about Ryouga that she knew nothing about.

Raven. Jinx. His past. His life in Japan. He mentioned names all the time, like Ranma, but it was mostly just anecdotes, or quick stories, nothing meaningful.

With another long sigh, Terra finally let her eyes slide closed. Hopefully tomorrow would bring a better day.

* * *

White light flashed, blinding, then subsided a moment later. The glare gave way to the familiar interior of her home away from home, and she let out an enthused laugh of relief to be back.

"Welcome back, you three," the teleport tube operator offered with a friendly wave.

Supergirl waved to the older gentleman, wearing the standard purple and white outfit that all Watchtower support staff wore, and offered him her most winning smile. Stepping off the teleporter pad, she then spun around – her feet floating off the floor as she did – to see her friends.

Mousse and Shampoo – or Weapon Master and Neji- Neju – uh… Shampoo – were both still standing on the individual teleporter nodes and appeared to be taking a moment to catch their breaths. Permitting them a moment to recover, the Argonian took a moment to take in appearances.

Her own uniform: white t-shirt, blue miniskirt, and red cape, was in immaculate condition. Not even a dirt smudge on her head band. Her companions, on the other hand, were several light years removed from 'immaculate'. Mousse's heavy white robes were smudged nearly black with smoke and burns and stained red from a few small nicks and cuts. His hair was a mess and half of the weapons strapped to his back were smoking ruins.

Shampoo looked even worse, considering her preference for getting up close and personal, as opposed to Mousse's more distance-oriented style. The Amazon warrior was pressing a hand to her dislocated and reset shoulder and had a livid bruise on her face above and beyond the same nicks, cuts and burns that Mousse was sporting.

That said, though, both were smiling bright as the sun.

" _Cyborg ninjas_?" the male exclaimed incredulously. "Who hires _cyborg ninjas_ to assassinate an ambassador?"

"Better question," Shampoo countered, "What kind of self–respecting ninja lets themselves get turned into robot men?"

Supergirl shrugged. "You get all kinds. I gotta say, though, it was a _great_ idea asking you guys to come along," she gushed. "I mean, normally when I go to China, there's usually some people around that conveniently speak English. But this time? _No one!_ "

The weapon master rolled his big, green eyes. "So _glad_ to know that our translating services ranked as more useful than our combat abilities, what with all of the – and let me repeat this for emphasis – _Cyborg Ninjas_ that burst out from everywhere?"

"Shampoo _know_ ," the Amazon concurred, her voice still bewildered. "Robo ninjas popping up everywhere… like _daisies_."

"Ha!" Supergirl barked triumphantly. "Weren't you the one saying 'Oh, but watching stupid, dull conference is _too-too_ boring!' You guys didn't even _want_ to come."

"Does that _always_ happen?" Mousse asked, aghast. "I mean, that one guy shot lasers _from his face_!"

"Oh, come on, it wasn't even like it was a _powerful_ laser," the blonde Argonian argued playfully.

"It cut a _car in half_!"

"It was a _compact_!"

"Alright, alright, enough," Shampoo cut in. The vivacious, lavender haired warrior stepped forward, a bounce in her step. "Crazy as robo-ninjas were… Shampoo admit that was still great fun!"

"Well, yeah," Mousse admitted with a chuckle. "And it's not every day that you get a 'thank you' from a diplomatic delegation. I bet we're gonna be all over the news tomorrow."

Hmm, the Argonian had forgot about that. There had been a few dozen camera crews on the scene. She just hoped they got her good side… and that she avoided any 'wardrobe malfunctions' this time. More importantly, though-

"Enough about work, though," she stated eagerly. "I'm _starving_! Let's hit the cafeteria!"

"Uh, I think I might hit the med bay first-"

Bright red lights and a blaring siren drowned out the rest of what Mousse was going to say. Instantly, the three warriors, as well as everyone else within sight, snapped to attention. Within moments, support staff started to move about, quickly making their way to their appointed emergency stations.

Supergirl, with Mousse and Shampoo trailing behind her, instead made their way to the Control Deck, where most of their fellow heroes would no doubt be heading as well. The trio zipped down one of the corridors, only to pause momentarily as they ran into another familiar face coming around a corner to meet them.

"Whoa, what happened to you guys?" Stargirl asked, clearly aiming her question at the pair of Chinese martial artist. The young blonde woman was also floating above the floor, her golden power staff resting easily behind her back as she fell into 'step' beside them. The girl's blue and white outfit, looking a bit like an old-style flag, was just a bit more modest that Supergirl's own, and even had a mask that covered half of her face.

"We'll fill you in later," Mousse replied with a grin. "I'll just say that it involves a combination of cyborgs, and/or ninjas, and leave it at that."

"Ahhh, Cyborg-Ninja Tuesday, is it?" the cosmically empowered heroine snarked with a smirk. "Anyway, you guys know what's going on?"

"We only just get back," Shampoo supplied a bit sharply. "Know no more than Stick-Girl."

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's called a _Cosmic Staff_!"

The lavender haired Amazon's only response was a wry grin of her own. And before anything else could be said, they exited the corridor and into the massive chamber that was the Control Deck of the Watch Tower. Even from first glance, Supergirl could count a dozen other heroes present. Shining Knight, Vigilante, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Booster Gold and, of course, the Big Seven.

All the big wigs were already up at the front of the room, standing before the massive, just ridiculously big monitor that hung at the center of the far wall, just in front of the enormous bank of windows that allowed them to see just a gorgeous view of the Earth in the background.

On the monitor was an alien being, and one that Supergirl didn't recognize in the slightest. It wasn't even remotely humanoid, looking like some sort of hovering squid… spider… thing. Whatever it was, though, it was obviously intelligent, as it was communicating with them from however far away, and even had a translation program working as well. She could tell, because even though the squid-spider (she was probably going to be having nightmares for _weeks_ after seeing that) was communicating with a series of warbling oscillations of sound, it was followed a few seconds later with halting English.

"Superman… Please… Help us…"


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

The dull, rhythmic clanking of iron gears echoed through his darkened sanctum. It had always been a weakness of his, drawn to lairs filled with obsolete industrial equipment. The methodical, precise movements ticking along like clockwork resonated with him. At this point, the smell of oil and ironmongery felt like home.

An armored finger tapped the arm of his chair in time with a piston in the background, betraying his annoyance. He did not, he reflected ruefully, appreciate being a cog in the machinations of another.

" _Aww_ ," a mocking voice cooed from the black. "You look so put out. Is our mutual acquaintance not delivering all that he promised and more?"

 _Speak of the Devil and he appears_ … how apt. He glanced up from his ruminations to the darkest corner of his central command, across from the multitude of monitors which flickered dimly. Soundlessly, a now familiar silhouette melted out of the shadows. Appearances indicated nothing more than a boy, scarcely even a teen, donning a sharp looking black dress suit.

He, more than most, knew how deceiving appearances could be. Even he couldn't be certain if the two upturned spikes that rose from the youth's raven hair were his actual hair… or something more indicative of his true nature. The faintest whiff of brimstone in the air did offer a subtle clue.

"Don't worry yourself, _Boy_." He smiled at the rictus of rage that spread across his visitor's face, though the smirk was lost on his guest. Absently, he curled his hand into a tight fist. "After all, they say if you don't have your health, you don't have anything, so I'd be remiss to complain at this point."

"If that's what you call… _that_ ," his guest gestured in his general direction, covering his mouth with a free hand, and feigning to hide his laughter.

His eye tightened at the disrespect, but before he could reply, a low sound drew his gaze down to the ginger feline that had appeared out of nowhere to begin rubbing against the boy's legs. The animal looked normal, save for the eyes. Twin pools of red, like pits of fire stared up at him with hateful intensity. Something like a hiss rattled in the creature's throat, its hackles raising.

"Now, now, Teekl. Behave." The sinister youth smiled broadly, bouncing on his heels with excited energy. "After all, we are all friends here-" the boy fired an ominous look his way, "...aren't we?"

"Like family, I'm sure," he muttered in a low voice. Finally, he rose to his feet, towering over the darkly clad boy. "Enough banter. The pieces are quickly falling into position. You know what needs to be done. I assume you can find a suitable… distraction?"

The youth's eyes danced with mischief. "Oh yes, I have a temperamental old friend that has been sleeping just _far_ too long that I think I'll pay a visit." With a sharp gesture, the ginger feline leapt up onto the boy's arm and scurried to perch on his shoulder. Absently the child scratched the thing's chin. "After all, Teekl so rarely gets to go on vacation."

"As long as it serves my purpose, then I care not for your vagaries. Go and begin your preparations."

"Oh, of _course_ , my esteemed colleague." The horned youth offered a condescending smirk. "And what will you be doing while I prepare to shake the heavens themselves? I'd hate to think you were just sitting in this drab little scrap heap, cooling your heels."

His glance slid across the chamber to the large bank of monitors that served to track the many pawns in this penultimate of games. In particular, to one flickering screen near the bottom corner, the likeness of a raven-haired young woman completely unaware of her surveillance.

"I think it's time for my first piece to enter the game."

* * *

_Apprentice._

Ryouga glanced down at the young woman that stood by his side. Her hands were tucked tightly into the green wind breaker she'd borrowed from Beast Boy, and a light breeze played through her long golden hair as they held vigil at the side of the road.

The word didn't really feel right to the martial artist. True, he was training her. He was training Terra more seriously than anyone, even Akane, but merely teaching did not seem to encompass the meaning of the word.

"So, when do you think they'll show?" Boredom laced the blonde's words; they had already been standing by the side of the road for half an hour with little more to do then watch the leaves fall.

He gave a non-committal grunt, not really paying attention to anything outside his head.

The word 'apprentice' was being bandied about pretty freely lately, and Ryouga was starting to ask himself how seriously anyone was taking that sacred responsibility.

Robin often told them of his apprenticeship to that Batman guy. Then Happosai had claimed Jinx as his apprentice at some point. And, as mind boggling as the concept seemed, judging by the Killer Croc fight, the ancient pervert seemed to be taking it to heart. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there were Cologne and Perfume and their 'apprenticeships' of Raven and Starfire. As if teaching a simple trick or two did a teacher make.

His brow furrowed in concentration, something tugging at the edge of his consciousness…

No, wait, that was his sleeve.

"Ryouga! Are you even listening to me?"

The slight blonde pulled his arm again, annoyance crinkling her brow cutely. It took him a second to reorient.

"What? Of course, I am." He flipped open his communicator, the hexagonal device showing it was now five minutes since the last time he'd checked.

"Shouldn't be much longer now. Kasumi said they would be here by ten. They're only a little behind schedule."

Terra gave him a look that spoke volumes.

"No!" he barked, "It's _not_ my fault. I didn't give them directions. Kasumi told them where to find us!"

Her sapphire eyes narrowed in suspicion, but she declined from arguing his point. He huffed loudly and turned his attention back to the road. The chill in the air was invigorating, and the smells of the forest hung pleasantly in the air, pushing his mind to wander since his feet were rooted.

So, where did that place him and Terra on the scale? Apprenticeship entailed more than just training. It implied a relationship, a long term and intimate bond. In the purest sense, you were preparing someone to replace you, after all. Entrusting them with your legacy.

He turned to regard Terra more fully. True, he was training her, but everything they were doing was on the fly. Lessons created from desperation. He wasn't… giving himself to her… in that way. Wasn't passing on his essential experiences.

Terra caught him staring after a few moments. "Ummm, yes? You need something, Ryouga?"

He shook his head and chuckled in a low tone. "No, I was just… considering what lessons to pass on… you know, for the kids."

Terra fired him an odd look. "What, like how to cook Smores, or something?"

He laughed at that (not that he had any idea what a 'smores' was. A pot of campfire rice, now that would be good) "Well, you did say we missed all the proper-" He formed quotations with his fingers for emphasis. " _Camping protocol_ , last night. I'm sure a bunch of city kids would have lots to learn from old pros like us."

The slight geokinetic beamed brightly, jamming her thumb to her own chest. "Hey, you're talking to the girl that taught Beast Boy how to pitch a tent-"

Ryouga coughed loudly into his hand, feeling his cheeks burning instantly. "...Terra…"

For her part, the short Titan (in training) was already red in the face. "I realized how it sounded even as I said it. Shut up!"

Only by monumental act of will was Ryouga able to hold in his laugh and look back to the empty woodland road. He gave his head a rueful shake.

What was he thinking? He was, what, three years older than Terra? Even less? By rights, he should be learning _with_ the young hero, not playing at being her teacher. And even if he did want to think along those lines, there was a whole world of styles more suited to Terra than the Hibiki style. That much he was certain of.

Now Starfire on the other hand… or maybe even Shampoo.

He gave his head a shake at that last thought. No, teacher to Terra's student was fine for now. He certainly wouldn't have to wait long for her to surpass him and then she could choose her own path.

The martial artist rubbed his chin, pondering. What _if_ Terra wanted to learn his style?

He found himself imagining Terra, now ten years older and wearing a duplicate of his outfit, down to the umbrella. The slight woman gave a roar, then charged headfirst right into a concrete wall, crashing throu-

Nope, even with ten years of imaginary training, she still bounced right off and collapsed to the ground, stars swirling in her eyes…

"What are you giggling about, Ryouga?" Terra stared up at him, a suspicious glint flashing in her stormy eyes.

Smiling widely, he dropped a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, I just thought up a new training exercise for you. Should be… smashing."

"... You just thought about ramming my head into a wall, didn't you?"

"... _Noooo…_ "

" _Gawd_! I was just joking!" Terra threw her arms up in exasperation. "Seriously, I don't know how your brain works someti-"

"Wait!" Ryouga raised a finger to shush her. "I hear something coming! I think it's the kids!"

Terra glared at him. "Yeah _right, Master_ , like that isn't the most-" Suddenly her head tilted to the side. "Oh, wait, I hear it now, too."

 _Thankyouthankyouthankyou!_ He'd totally been bluffing.

Offering up a few prayers to whatever errant god had decided to take pity on him, he looked down the road, only to do a double take.

An old, beat up looking yellow school bus trundled down the road towards them.

"How many kids did Kasumi invite?" he asked rhetorically.

"Well, she did give us enough food to feed a small army." Terra bounced on her toes, excitement lighting up her face. "I wonder what they're like?"

"I wonder what kind of social worker thinks it's a good idea to take a bunch of kids out into the woods with a pair of dangerous strangers?"

"Ryouga! Don't be a jerk!"

"What? I'm pretty sure this was exactly the plot of one of Beast Boy's horror movies."

Terra punched him in the arm playfully as she burst out into laughter.

" _Ryoooouga_! Shut up about stuff like that, you'll scare them off! At least save it for the ghost stories."

The bus wheezed to a stop, gravel crunching loudly as it pulled off the road. Several long moments passed before the side door finally swung open.

To be fair, it wasn't like the kids were here to see _them_. These kids had been hoping to hang out with Cyborg and Beast Boy, you know, _actual_ Teen Titans.

Well, as the Hibiki family motto went, 'Best get used to disappointment early… Because that's life, dummy.' In retrospect, maybe some of his sunny disposition was more genetic than he'd initially suspected.

"I hope these kids are nice, anyway, not like those crazy American TV kids. If we're lucky, their troop leader will be a good guy-"

It was at that point _she_ stepped off the bus. Long blonde hair, pulled up playfully into a high ponytail, danced gracefully in the breeze. A tight red sweater clung to curves that Ryouga had only seen on the movie screen and, frankly, the pale blue jeans were just icing on the cake.

The master martial artist felt his jaw go slack, even as Terra burst out into laughter beside him.

"Oh God! Cyborg missed _her_ to go to Star's fake wedding?" Terra elbowed him in the side and shot him a wink. "Cy's gonna _reboot_ when I tell him, right?"

"..."

He stared blankly, not even registering the gloved hand waving in front of his face. All he could notice was the blonde goddess turning her attention their way.

"Really, Ryouga? _Really_?" He vaguely heard his student huff indignantly, only to have the ominous sound of stone grinding on stone kick his danger sense into high gear. Survival instincts snapped him out of his daze, and he turned just in time to see an oversized stone fist rearing back.

" _I'm sorry, I'm sorry_!"

Relinquishing her frown, Terra unclenched her fist, letting the construct slide back into the ground. She rolled her eyes and blew some hair away from her face.

"C'mon, man. You're my teacher, here." She tucked her hands into her pockets. "You're supposed to be… like… _above_ gawking at hot babes, not like Cy and BB."

Ryouga ducked his head, feeling abashed at the admonishment. "I'm sorry. I _was_ being rude there. She just… caught me off guard?"

His protege shook her head and smiled. "Heh, well I guess I can't blame you too much." She gestured to the woman, tight jeans hugging her hips as she seemed to be organizing her camping supplies. "I mean, even I'll admit she's gorgeous. She's got curves that make Raven look like Jinx!"

"Hey! Don't talk about Jinx like that," he barked more on instinct than anything else. "...Or Raven… I think…" He wasn't actually sure if she was being insulted but decided to hedge his bets in case she had spies in the shadows.

The young hero giggled shamelessly. "Well, it's not like I'm gonna compare _myself_ to Raven. At worst I'd say her boobs make Kasumi's look like mine, but that'd probably just make her feel bad that I was jealous."

"Terra! You can't talk about women's looks and bodies like that!"

"What?" Terra winked teasingly. "I _am_ a girl, so I'm allowed to comment on other girls. Just like you're allowed to talk about how other guys have bulging pectorals or tight butts."

Ryouga shuddered from head to toe. "Why would I _ever_ do that?"

He gave his head another good shake, then gave his pupil a gentle push on the shoulder, sending her stumbling a few feet.

"Whatever. Anyway, you shouldn't get hung up on your appearance." He nodded in a manner he assumed looked very wise. "Besides, Jinx totally has nice breasts-"

Giggling shamelessly, Terra 'aww'd'. "Aw, you are so-"

"And I'm sure one day you will too."

"- _Dead!_ "

Hands began to rise, some in offense, some for defense… when Ryouga noticed something odd.

The woman that had stepped off the bus was still standing by the door, shifting slowly from one foot to the other. Curiosity overcame self preservation and the fanged warrior held up a hand to halt his student's attack. Gesturing to the bus, he drew Terra's attention to their guest as well and began to make his way forward.

The crunch of gravel signaled Terra following close at his elbow. "Something's strange," she muttered.

Nodding absently, the martial artist turned his attention to the bus. If American tv had taught him anything, the vehicle should have been rocking wildly under the enthusiasm of excited children. This bus was stock still, and he couldn't see a single soul from his vantage.

As they approached, the older blonde raised a hesitant hand. "H-hello there. My name is Sarah. Ah, Sarah Simms."

Ryouga glanced to her briefly, but his attention was drawn back to the bus. Not so much as a whisper emanated from the cavernous vehicle. The martial artist turned back to the anxiously shuffling social worker. The look on her face caused a sinking sensation in his stomach. It was a mix of embarrassment and… fear?

Cautiously, holding his hands out to his sides, he spoke as calmly as he could.

"Hello, Miss Simms. I'm Ryouga," he gestured to his waifish ward, "And this is Terra. Is - is there something wrong?"

Odd, he noted that the sweater wearing woman's nervousness peaked as he introduced Terra, even though he was certain he was more intimidating.

"Yeah," Terra chimed in. "I thought you were supposed to be bringing a bunch of kids out for this camping trip?"

Taking a second, apparently to steel her resolve, Sarah took a breath and nodded.

"I thought you deserved to hear this in person, rather than over the phone," she gestured to the yellow bus standing vacant next to them. "Besides, I already rented the bus anyway, so I figured I might as well use it…"

She trailed off into uncomfortable laughter, absently tugging at her ponytail with both hands.

The sinking sensation in Ryouga's stomach only grew; he glanced to his side to see the look of confusion on his student's face.

"The kids aren't coming, are they?" The answer was obvious, but he hoped to diffuse Terra's guilt if he could. He gestured between himself and the geokinetic hero, stepping closer as he did. "I'm guessing it has to do with _our_ … questionable pasts, right?"

Sarah looked at him intently, her glance flashing quickly to Terra's rapidly darkening expression. He certainly hoped she'd caught his emphasis, but the look that dawned on her face gave him pause. Slowly, she nodded.

"I am _so_ sorry. I know you both went to a lot of trouble to set this up-"

The martial artist shifted uncomfortably, having done nothing at all, and not really having been a fan of the idea in the first place.

"- I mean, that lady that contacted me, Kasumi, made it sound like such a great opportunity for the kids to get to know the two new Titans."

He shared a quick look with Terra. Well, _that_ explained a lot. He could also feel the 'but' coming from a mile away.

"But, well, the second I suggested it to the children's parents…" Her head dipped and she twisted her hands in front of her jeans. "Honestly, I'm pretty sure the only reason I wasn't fired on the spot is because my dad's the boss."

Even though he was certain that nothing going on was his fault this time (or even Ranma's, strange as that felt), Ryouga still felt the unpleasant feeling of guilt settle over him. He knew they weren't popular, but he had to admit he'd underestimated just how bad it was.

Suddenly, the tall social worker knocked her knuckles against the side of her head. "What was I even thinking? A night out with _the_ Terra-"

Ryouga's eyes widened and he tried to subtly wave his hands at Sarah. She must have noticed as her expression shifted quickly.

"...and Ryouga?" she added, rather lamely.

A loud sigh drew their attention to the shorter blonde on the scene. Her posture hunched and the look on her face stormy, Terra half heartedly glared at them both.

"I'm not an idiot, you know. I know it's _my_ fault that the kids were too terrified to even consider coming."

The young geokinetic spun away, her fists clenched tightly at her sides and a loud sniff betraying her feelings.

"So _stupid_! I must have been an idiot to think anyone would let their kids within _miles_ of Slade's pet monster…"

Even facing away from him, Ryouga could see the droplets of water starting to rain down from his apprentice's chin. Gently, he dropped a hand on her shoulder and spun her back to face him. Using a finger, he lifted Terra's trembling chin so he could look her in the eyes.

"Terra, you are _no one's_ monster." He stared into shimmering blue eyes. Tilting his head to the side, he offered her a fanged grin. "You just need time to let your actions speak for you. Once we have you ready to go out into the world again… trust me, the good you do will eclipse all the bad you've _ever_ done."

Terra continued to look up at him, her tears slowly ceasing to flow. With a sharp nod, she took a step back and squared her shoulders. She opened her mouth to say something… when a contented sigh drew their attention.

Still standing next to them, somehow forgotten for a moment, Sarah stared at them, an eyebrow quirked up as she studied him in particular. The tall blonde's lips quirked up into a wide grin.

"Hmm. You _are_ the real deal, aren't you?" An expression flashed across her face… relief?... before she ran her fingers through her hair. "I _knew_ Cyborg wouldn't have said all that stuff on the Cyblog if it wasn't true."

Despite himself, Ryouga couldn't help but grin. "Wait. _You_ read Cyborg's blog?"

Donning a sheepish expression, cheeks tingeing pink, she nodded. "Guilty. I'm… kind of a huge Cyfan." She let out a long sigh. "I was really hoping to meet him again. And all the kids just adore him, too."

Terra let out a loud huff, muttering over her shoulder, "Everyone that read's Cy's blog is a stupid jerk. Those comment sections…"

Sarah had the good grace to look abashed.

 _Had any of those comments been hers_? A sudden surge of anger rose at the thought, but Ryouga forced himself to remember Starfire's first lesson to him. This woman might have every right to her opinion; he had no idea what she'd gone through.

Instead, he grinned and tightened his grip on Terra's shoulder, giving her a playful shake.

"Hey, _I_ read his blog, you know? Are you calling me a jerk?"

Fight as she might, Terra couldn't stop the corner of her lips from quirking up. The slight blonde punched him lightly in the side. "The biggest jerk of them all. Don't think I forgot about the whole thing with the boulders."

Sarah shot him a questioning look, and he felt the need to tug at his collar.

"Um… inside joke?"

"Hm, well, anyway," Sarah segued expertly, "I admit that your friend, Kasumi, talked a good game, but she's not why I'm here."

Terra tilted her head inquisitively. "She's not? I _always_ end up doing anything she asks."

Ryouga just nodded at the self-evident nature of her statement.

The taller woman let out a quick giggle. "I'm sure she's quite charming, but I'm really here because of Cyborg."

Ryouga began to raise a finger to signal his confusion since Cyborg wasn't coming, but she beat him to the punch.

"Or, I should say, I'm here because Cyborg believes in you-" Sarah reached out, dropping a hand on Terra's shoulder as well as his. " _Both_ of you. And that people just need to give you guys a chance to prove yourselves."

While Ryouga felt heartened by the sentiment, he noted an expression blooming on his apprentice's face that escaped his ability to read.

The social worker then pulled her hands back to clasp them before her.

"So, umm… _please_ prove Cyborg right for me? I have faith in the Titans, but I am still kind of a normal person stuck out in the woods with two demigods." She blushed again. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous as hell right now."

The hapless wanderer chuckled at her frank admission, hoping to avoid his more usual evil sounding chuckle this time.

"Don't worry, we'll hold off on any of the more dangerous training while you're around." He ignored the annoyed bark from Terra and offered a grin wide enough to let his fangs peek out. "I gotta say, though, there's trusting Cyborg, and then there is _trusting_ Cyborg."

Looking happier than she had since the start of this entire encounter, Terra smiled and nudged the taller blonde with a narrow elbow. "Yeah. If I were more suspicious, I'd almost think you had a crush on the-"

"Okay, okay! No teasing!" Sarah took a moment to compose herself, her cheeks slowly ceasing their ruby glow. Giving her head one last shake, her ponytail whipping out, Sarah offered them a more casual smile.

"Now, come on. I want to get a real look at the two new, up and coming Titans." She winked teasingly. "This way I can say I knew you guys before you were cool!"

The sweater wearing social worker paused uncertainly for a moment. "So… you mentioned you guys were doing some kind of training? That sounds like it'd be cool to see."

Ryouga felt the return of his evil grin, the most obvious of ideas beginning to form in his mind.

"Interested in our training, are you? Maybe we can kill two birds with making you feel less nervous and showing you a bit of the training, we're doing."

With that, he gestured for the pair of blondes to follow him back to the site (he ignored the fact that Terra immediately took a stride past him, pulling Sarah along).

"How do you feel about a little low intensity self defense training?"

Checking her gear quickly, the older blonde nodded. "Great, that sounds fun. I'm pretty sure I got some sweats in here."

Perfect. Ryouga smiled to himself, already planning the next five to six hours. Should be just enough time for a good warm up before lunch!

He wasn't even paying attention when, brows furrowed, Terra leaned towards Sarah.

"You know, you _really_ shouldn't trust Cy nearly as much as you do."

"Wh-What? Why ever not?"

"Trust me, I learned the hard way. Cyborg _always_ leaves the toilet seat up!"

Sarah giggled at the admission, only to stop dead in her tracks. The queerest look settled on her face, even as Ryouga and Terra walked on without her.

"...Wait. That raises _so_ many questions!"

* * *

Speedy waved jauntily to the officer before walking off to mull over the crime scene. It had been a relatively quiet night down here in the financial district. Now the small plaza surrounding the tall office building was circled by police vehicles. A steady stream of uniformed officers entered and exited the building, intent on finding any additional evidence of the break in.

"Gotta admit, this is a new one for me," he muttered to no one in particular.

After all, why would anyone bother to break into a mineral exchange? Contrary to how it sounded, an Exchange like this didn't house any inventory to steal.

Without a thought, the crimson archer fired an arrow up towards the roof, thin cable trailing after. A quick pull on the rope, and he was ascending the side of the exceedingly average commercial building.

No, a mineral exchange was just a middleman, as it were. They connected buyers and sellers, extractors to end users. Either the criminal was a total rookie… or they were looking for something. Something you couldn't find just knocking over some jewelry store.

Speedy chuckled to himself.

Maybe it was another wing bat trying to track down some of the world's apparently inexhaustible stocks of Kryptonite? Lord knew that Luthor was probably sitting on top of the Fort Knox of Special K.

It was hard to say, really. The investigator on the scene told him that the break in was technically well executed, but that the search had been sloppy and untargeted. The culprit had torn through dozens of the exchange's client databases until they did, or maybe even didn't find what they were looking for.

On that note, the archer was glad that Robin and his team had forged such a good working relationship with the Jump City PD. Made his job babysitting the city a helluva lot easier than in a corrupt pit like Bludhaven.

He found a nicely sized HVAC unit near the edge of the building to sit on and look out over the city. The road below was still twinkling with the reds and blues of the squad cars. The building across the street was mostly unlit, the glass face reflecting the streetlights and other light pollution back at him. The cape of the black silhouette on the far roof blew gently in the night breeze-

A sound like a jagged record scratch jolted through his head.

Instantly, he was on his feet, bow in hand. Speedy didn't believe in coincidences at the best of times; just happening to see some shadowy figure on a rooftop minutes after a break in and have them _not_ be involved? Yeah, pull the other one.

The mysterious ne'er do well held their position as he drew back another grapnel arrow, only to finally turn tail and run as he fired. As that arrow flew across the gulf between buildings, he turned and fired another arrow behind and above him into a convenient antenna tower.

Both arrows struck nigh simultaneously, and the wire connecting them snapped taut. Flipping his bow over the newly formed zipline, he ran forward and leapt off the building, letting gravity slide him across the road at breakneck speeds.

He landed with a crunch, just in time to see the caped figure leap off the far ledge and vanish from sight.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," he muttered. He'd played the cat and mouse game enough to know when he was the cat and when he was the mouse.

Moving swiftly across the roof, a trio of stun arrows slid into his hand. He nocked the first, as he leapt off the ledge himself. Soaring through the air, he quickly spotted his playmate for the night looking back up at him from the roof some twenty feet below him.

One, two, three arrows flew in the span of a single breath, closing unerringly on his target. Only to be cut down by blurs of red that whistled through the air.

He landed heavily from the fall, rolling with the momentum. Surging back to his feet, he spun around with another pair of crackling blue arrows nocked and aimed at the shadowy figure.

Though, ' _Figure_ ' didn't do this criminal justice. That suit was tight in _all_ the right places. If it weren't for the lame skull mask and the goofy, Robin-esque half cape, he might have wondered if he was up against a far from home Catwoman.

If the curvy villainess felt at all threatened by having two electrified arrows under a hundred pounds of draw pointed at her face, she gave no sign of it. Rather, she touched her fingers to the mask covering her mouth, as if covering a yawn.

"What took you, Robin? You've slowed down since the last time we met."

The crimson archer stopped short, his bow dropping to his side.

"Lady, I am _not_ Robin!"

The empty eyes of the skull face seemed to peer at him, studying him. A moment later, she gestured at him.

"Are you sure? I mean, the same uniform, the silly little mask," He could almost see the grin under the material of her mask. "That absolutely _darling_ coordinating belt? Either you are Robin, or maybe you're… his biggest fan?"

"Hey!" He swiped his hand through the air, taking a step forward. "I'm nothing like that twerp!"

He tugged at his red hair. "Is Robin a ginger?" He shook his long bow as well. "Could his little noodle arms even draw a bow like this?"

The black clad female cocked out her hip and rested her hand on the curve. He could just feel the arching of her hidden eyebrow.

"That certainly _is_ a large weapon. Though maybe Robin just doesn't have as much to compensate for?" She tittered in amusement, though the voice distortion made it sound creepy as hell.

Speedy grinned at the jab. "Oh, don't you worry about me, Miss. I'm more than willing to prove my _credentials_ if need be."

His playful reply seemed to set the woman back a step. She obviously thought she was being clever, or that he hadn't had this conversation a dozen times with a dozen lady villains.

"I - um… _well_ , if you _aren't_ a Robin cosplayer, then just who are you?"

He offered her a charming smirk. "You can call me Speedy."

"Well, you can call me disappointed."

 _Damn it_! He walked into that one _every time_! He really needed to consider a name change. The old sidekick moniker was making the whole heroic flirting banter routine all but impossible these days.

"Alright, Miss Original. Why don't we cut to the chase? I'll bet my last arrow that you hit that Exchange." He narrowed his eyes, drawing a bead on his target. "So, did you find what you were looking for?"

The caped woman seemed to deflate, and let out a sexy, pouty sigh.

"Unfortunately, not. It seems that the supply in Jump City has dried up." Despite her admission, the black clad villain perked up noticeably. "On the bright side, I did find the other thing I was looking for."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"My-"

Suddenly, the figure flickered into a black blur. He loosed his arrows, but in the fraction of the second it took them to travel, his target was already erased from reality.

An instant later, he felt a hot breath on his neck.

"-new _playmate!"_

A heel slammed into the back of his knee, dropping him painfully to the roof. He tried to spin around with his bow, but two more red blurs flew from behind him. Both hit his weapon, then splattered across his hands and down to the roof. A second later, his bow was snapped to the gravel as the goo contracted.

Still standing on the back of his calf, pinning him painfully to the roof, his attacker let out a bored huff.

"You weren't kidding about the 'Speedy' part. Robin did _much_ better on our first… altercation."

He was about to make the standard 'Let me go, you fiend' demand, but another set of the adhesive projectiles, small red X's now that he had a better look, hit his mouth and feet, completing his immobilization.

The dark criminal paced around him, looking quite satisfied with herself. "Well, I suppose I have had a bit of time to train since then, so, it would only be fair to give you a chance to practice, too."

Stepping in front of him, she knelt and ruffled his hair roughly.

"Oh, don't you worry, _Speedy,_ we are going to have a _lot_ of fun this week."

A flicker of black, and she was gone, for good this time. Leaving Speedy essentially hogtied and glued to the roof, unable to even call for help.

He let out a weary sigh through his nostrils before he began the slow process of working himself out of his gloves and boots. At least there hadn't been anyone around to see him get manhandled like that… or to witness his humiliating recovery.

Honestly, some nights it just didn't pay to get out of bed.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

"Say, Red. What's this mutawhatsits we're stealin' supposed to do again?"

Pamela Isley, better known as Poison Ivy among her like minded peer group, looked away from the heavy wooden warehouse door to glance at her companion. The shorter woman would have been just as comfortable on the back of a playing card as hanging out next to this dingy old warehouse they were preparing to burgle.

"Well, Harley," she found herself dropping back into a lecturing stance, an old habit from an earlier life. "I've already tried giant plants, using plants to make people slaves, and mutating people into plants… and, frankly, none of those plans have worked out too well."

Harley nodded, the bells on her black and red hood jingling quietly. "Ah, so you're goin' for a new angle, right? Must be something _real_ clever!"

"Of course! With _this_ mutagen, I will be able to affect my greatest plan ever." Gesturing dramatically to the heavens above, she revealed her master plan. "I will use it to mutate people into giant plant slaves!"

In an instant, Harley's expression dropped into the flattest look she'd ever seen.

The red headed genius gave a loud snort. "Harlene Quinzelle! You are the _last_ person that gets to look at someone like they just said something crazy."

She amended herself quickly. "Sorry, second to last."

The harlequin dressed Harley Quinn laughed out loud. "Thanks, Red. But, seriously, _that's_ what yer goin' for?"

"Oh, I don't know. Sounds kinda cool to me."

Ivy nodded in agreement. " _Thank you_. Finally, someone… gets… it?"

Slowly, both villainesses turned to look down the darkened alley behind them. Harley nudged her, muttering out of the side of her mouth. "You don't suppose Bats has gone soprano on us?"

She could only shake her head absently as she peered into the inky blackness. Worryingly, she could see two points of light peering back at her.

What was that saying about the abyss again?

The faint 'clop' of hard soled shoes coming towards them echoed against the walls, until the shadows finally revealed the mystery interloper.

Poison Ivy took one look at the young woman, only for realization to strike. She snapped her fingers in recognition.

"Hey! You're that Chicky-Poo that punched Croc's ticket back to Arkham!" Harley gestured with excitement, obviously having reached the same conclusion.

The pink hair was unmistakable, and while the girl's wardrobe was much more modest now, the style was recognizable as well. The televised battle between this petite vixen and Killer Croc had been the talk of the underworld for days, after all.

"That's me, alright," the young woman confirmed. "The name is Jinx, in case you missed it."

Hmm, Jinx. The rumor mill had said she was a neophyte villain from the opposite side of the country, but no one had any idea why she had taken out the humanoid suitcase.

Ivy, experienced criminal that she was, was confused by more immediate concerns. First, why was this child here? Second, despite her flippant words, Ivy noted a worrying amount of tension in the young villainess' posture. The kind of tension that you usually saw in someone either anticipating or dreading a fight.

"Well," the plant loving eco terrorist began cautiously. "As I doubt your meeting the two of us, here and now, is a coincidence, I can only assume you know who we are, correct?"

Standing up straighter, but with pale hands held out to her sides, Jinx nodded. "Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Pretty much the Queens of Gotham." The cat eyed girl gave a sheepish grin. "I gotta admit, you two are in my top Five of female villains I always looked up to."

"Aw, that's sweet, kid! I always got time for a fan." Harley immediately began to check her form fitting body suit for something to autograph… as if that red and black piece of fabric left _anything_ to the imagination.

...Not that Pamela could say much in that regard.

"I see," she reasoned, "Is that what brought you to Gotham? Looking to find some seasoned professionals to take you under their wings?" She tapped a finger to her chin. "I've never considered doing villain mentorships before, but it might not be a bad plan."

Suddenly, she found Harley clamped on her arm, clinging on possessively.

"Hey, no way! Sorry, Jesse-"

" _Jinx_!"

" _Whatevah_! This here crime family is a duo!" The clown princess of crime gave Jinx a closer look. "Besides, you look like a better fit for Catwoman. You can go and be all morally ambiguous with her!"

The pale girl drew a hand down her face in annoyance. "I do _not_ have a _cat_ theme! My whole thing is - you know what, never mind."

Taking a moment to recover her cool, Jinx offered them a wide grin… though the anxiety dancing at the back of her eyes could not be hidden from Ivy's trained eyes.

"You're not wrong, anyway," Jinx continued enigmatically. She carelessly rolled one of her wrists. "I did come here on a training trip. And, lucky me, I actually did find a 'wing' to take me in."

Jinx's grin grew wider, almost manic. Had she been up against anyone besides two of Gotham's worst, Ivy might have almost called it intimidating. To her, it was just adorable.

"Unfortunately, the new boss was pretty firm on me stopping you guys from stealin' anything, so that puts us in a bit of a situation."

Poison Ivy began to study the newcomer with cold, calculating eyes. She remembered the video. This slip of a girl had gone toe to toe with Croc… but had nearly died in the doing.

Harley's loud, boisterous laugh distracted her. Hefting her oversized mallet over her shoulder, the harlequin villainess gestured to Jinx dismissively.

"Look at this, Pammy! This crazy kitten gets lucky against Croc, and suddenly thinks she can take _us_ on?" Another derisive bark of laughter. "Sorry, Twiggy, but who do you think you are, the Goddamn Batman?"

Ivy slowly began to ease a pair of large seeds from inside her gloves as she watched Jinx bristle at the outright dismissal. The young girl crouched down slightly, her fingers curling into claws.

"You might be right. Batman would have taken down Croc way easier than I did, but at least that crazy cannibal taught me one thing about hanging in Gotham."

Gently rolling the seeds between her fingers, Ivy began to coax them from dormancy. Explosive growth had always been her hallmark, she just needed a few more seconds to prepare.

"And what is that, dear girl?"

Jinx's cat-like eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That I can't afford to hold back!"

 _Aha!_ Ivy began to swing her hands forward, to send the activated seeds flying…

When the slight girl vanished!

A cacophony of shattering wood wrenched her attention back to her side. Eyes widened in shock as she tried to process what she was seeing. Harley was no longer standing at her side. Now Jinx was next to her, half turned away and her leg still fully extended and vibrating as it hung in the air.

Poison Ivy's gaze slipped back for an instant, to the shattered remains of the warehouse door. Harley's red clad leg hung awkwardly out of the roughly hewn hole her body had blasted through it. With glacial speed, her gaze was drawn back to the pink haired terror, just now lowering her leg. A look of confusion was etched on the young fighter's face.

" _Huh_ , that - that was _easy_ …" Jinx then looked at something clenched tightly in her fist. "And… honestly, who is daring enough to wear _these_ colors?"

The non-sequitur inquiry distracted Ivy enough to make her lean in closer to look at what the girl was now dangling between pinched fingers.

Her eyes widened even further at the scarlet and ebony checkered undergarments now in Jinx's clutches.

_She - what - **how**?_

Rage welled up in the red headed villainess. There could be no mercy for such an affront! She wound up again and let fly her weapons of choice. In seconds, the girl would be crushed to death by constricting vines-

Rage burned away, revealing uncertainty as the seeds burst into pink flame only halfway to their target, seemingly at the behest of a lazy gesture from the witch girl.

"O-oh my _Goddess_!" Jinx could barely talk from laughing. "Shampoo would have torn you guys to _pieces._ Literal pieces! And just thank your lucky stars that Happi already skipped town."

Ivy took a step back, not certain how to respond to the deranged girl's talk about deadly haircare products and fleeting happiness. Her apprehension only increased as Jinx tucked Harley's panties into a small sack on her belt, while clenching her other hand into a fist.

"Speaking of, I _did_ promise the Old Man some limited-edition items for his collection, so… well, you might want to close your eyes for this."

Swallowing loudly, Pamela felt, all the way to her toes, that this bizarre youth was offering her what she considered the easy way out. Maybe if she'd had more time to prepare, hadn't been equipped for a break and enter rather than a full out brawl, or at least had a few of her babies out and already grown beforehand… then things would no doubt be very different at this moment. As things stood, though, with her empty handed and Harley down for the count?

Slowly, she slid her eyes closed.

* * *

Emerging from the shadows, the Batman entered onto the scene just in time to catch his new ward quickly tucking something into her belt, just a bit too fast for him to make out anything but a flash of green.

The detective examined the aftermath of the surprisingly short battle. Poison Ivy was unconscious on the street, the beginning of a painful looking black eye already forming. Harley Quinn had not fared nearly as well, embedded in, or more accurately to say _through_ a door. At least he could see her foot was still twitching.

Finally, he turned his attention to the wild child he had taken in. Jinx smiled broadly, a veritable canary fed cat, awaiting praise for her good works.

"Tell me, Jinx, how you won this fight."

Her Cheshire grin faltered at the demand, but she tilted her head to the side, apparently trying to think over his request.

"Well, I was stronger and faster than Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy relies more on indirect fighting… Kinda like Mousse, and fighting those kind of people is my specialty."

Batman nodded, though he was a bit puzzled. He knew, from a slip up in the interview process, that one of their new members, Weapon Master, was named Mousse -he was still trying to wrap his head around the name, but even his information network hadn't turned up anything else. It was like the pair of warriors didn't exist in any databases on the planet - but he had seemed like the straightforward type during combat practice, using whatever weapons he could carry on his back. He would also need to do some investigating into the connection between Jinx and Weapon Master now as well, as what little information he had didn't indicate any link between them.

"Also," Jinx continued, tapping her finger to her chin. "The battlefield really favored me. I know that Ivy can be a nightmare out in the woods, but in the city, with no plants to work with, and no time to prep, since she was getting ready for a break in, I was able to catch her with her defenses down." The pink haired girl gave a snort as she looked over at Harley. "Clown girl is basically just a gymnastic fighter like me… you know, minus the superpowers, the training under a martial arts genius, and the youthful vitality. So, barring any really nasty tricks, I don't think I have to worry about her."

The Dark Knight gave a shallow nod. "A good analysis. It sounds like you put some thought into the battle beforehand, and made sure that you had the advantage going in."

His temporary ward nodded eagerly. "A mutual friend of ours gave me a lesson on the costs of underestimating your enemies. Especially in Gotham." She nudged her toe into the asphalt. "I have to admit, I was pretty nervous there. Despite all my training, these two are still kinda legends in the underworld. I honestly wasn't sure how that was going to go down."

He nodded, appreciating her honesty in her analysis. It would make his next steps that much easier to plan out.

"It's good that Killer Croc taught you to take our opponents seriously," the young woman beamed at his appraisal, "And you've shown that you understand the strategy and tactics of combat," He paused dramatically. "However, I think it's time to start training you in something I don't think… _any_ of your former instructors have bothered to teach you."

Jinx's head tilted as she regarded him quizzically. "Whazzat? I thought that went pretty well."

"Restraint." He gestured to Harley's unconscious… foot. "I can understand being intimidated by their reputation, but not every villain you fight is going to be as tough as Killer Croc. Against more baseline human opponents, you need to use more appropriate force."

"Aww! Holding back?" The young sorceress pouted mightily. "But my whole cool speech thing was about _not_ holding back!"

The caped crusader suppressed a grin in favor of his standard grim expression.

"A true martial artist knows when it is best to fight, and when it is best not to fight." Even as he pulled a compact first aid kit from his belt and moved to examine Harley, he glanced over his shoulder. "Besides, you might want to avoid making too many enemies so early in your career."

The sorceress in training scoffed loudly at his suggestion, waving her hand dismissively.

"What are you talking about?" She bounced on her toes and winked coquettishly. "After all, I'm the one true heir of the Anything Goes Style! Making enemies is kind of the job description from what I'm told."

She gestured to the fallen villains. "Besides. If these are the worst that Gotham has to offer…"

"Then who would be crazy enough to come after me?"

* * *

"That's what you _get_ , Punks! My name is Jinx, the One True Heir of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts! And don't you forget it!"

The image froze on a far too close-up of the pale girl's leering face, lines of static rolling up and down the still picture.

A shrill scream split the air a second before a midnight black razor-edged hoop split the screen in half as well.

Kodachi Kuno seethed as she had never seethed before. She was tempted to throw something else, but she didn't want to lower herself to the pink witch's level. Difficult as it was, she limited herself to simply glaring hatefully at the smoking monitor. It wasn't the target that deserved her wrath, after all, just the messenger of this… Jinx.

Despite herself, her breathing came in shallow gasps. How _dare_ that harlot falsely claim her darling Ranma's title? Such an insult to her future husband was - it was unforgivable!

Her erstwhile partner, just now gingerly peeking over the couch he'd dove behind when she'd made her displeasure know, cleared his throat.

"Uhh… is something bothering you, Kodachi-sama?"

Withdrawing her ribbon from her leotard, the heiress began to snap it furiously taut between her clenched fists. She ignored the rhetorical question, utterly irrelevant in the face of her growing ire. This commoner wench, this pink haired trollop had not just slandered her beloved, she had also interrupted Kodachi's well earned sabbatical.

Not even pleasant thoughts of the anguish her Ranma must be suffering over her mysterious absence, cooled her temper. How could they, knowing that the cat eyed miscreant had _stolen her thunder_! _Everyone_ knew how dearly the stunningly handsome martial artist held his pride. To be challenged so openly, and on the global stage, besides? Even the elegant Black Rose had to admit that her love's rather… one track mind would not entertain any other thought until he had answered this provocation.

Whoever this Jinx was… she had pushed Kodachi further from Ranma's mind, and thus his heart!

"I swear upon my family name, excluding my idiot brother and father, that I will hunt down this - this _Jinx_ , to the very gates of Kokujou Jigoku itself!"

She glared imperiously at the shorn monitor, watching as sparks jumped out randomly from the grievous wound inflicted.

"It is time for Jinx to learn the cost of vexing one of noble blood."

* * *

"That's what you _get_ , Punks! My name is Jinx, the One True Heir of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts! And don't you forget it!"

He leaned back into the elegant curves of his scaled throne, letting out a most amused chuckle as he regarded the monitor. Shimmering scales glinted in the light as he laced his fingers together before his mouth.

"Mint."

In an instant, faster than most could even see - excluding himself, of course - a young man nearly seemed to materialize before the throne, already bending the knee on the cool dark stone.

"Yes, Lord Herb?"

The Prince of the Musk smirked wickedly.

"I think I might have just found a convenient pretense to force that insufferable Saotome into a rematch without the disgrace of having to lower myself to actually _challenging_ the coward."

He gestured to the frozen picture of the unique looking female captured on the monitor. Whoever this Jinx was, with those pink, cat slit eyes, he half wondered if she was one of his men's attempt to make a bride that managed to escape. But he'd never seen any animals transformed by the Nyannichuan to ever exhibit such mastery of chi techniques… if that was what the pink energy the girl wielded even was.

"Mint, take some of the more experienced trackers and find this girl for me." He would have to remember to have someone thank the informant that had sent them this video. The girl herself was of interest, but no exotic foreign face could hope to match the beauty of the declaration she had so brazenly made. "I want you to have them track her movements for me."

He leaned forward, allowing himself an evil chuckle. "I think that I would like to arrange an… _audience_ with the One True Heir of the Anything Goes School."

The wolf blooded boy winced at his tone, only to look up at the screen in confusion.

"Wait a second! Are you sure that's a girl?"

Mint took a step forward, his eyes examining the image of the female intently.

"I mean, she doesn't even have any breasts!"


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Lotion leaned casually against the polished wood of the ancient granary. She certainly hoped she appeared casual at any rate. Tugging at the straps of the heavy pack resting on her back, her mind was racing with thoughts and it was all she could do to keep herself from shouting in frustration.

How undignified that would look.

The source of her anxiety floated above the distant farmland, its deep purple hull nearly blending into the night sky.

The Tamaranean ship.

Making its final preparations for departure; she swore she could see the tangerine hued figures zipping back and forth in the distance, loading up their remaining equipment and stores.

To think, if everything went to plan, then soon… soon she might be on that ship, howling through the dark void of space. Everything was happening too fast for the Amazonian scholar. Just a day ago, she had been petitioning the alien captain for a tour of his ship to sate her curiosity, but now, on the brink of stealing away on the steel behemoth, it was a daunting proposition indeed.

Everything had been so chaotic since the announcement came from the captain. Honored Elders had been crowing like chickens for hours but had no way to vent their frustrations. All hope of a renewed Amazon nation, built on the foundation of ancient tradition and alien super technology was quickly dwindling away…

And then the call from Honored Elder Cologne. Even more surprising, the Matriarch had contacted her through the communicator that Cyborg had left in her possession, rather than through any of the Lexcorp communication stations that were being set up throughout the village.

For a moment, she let her mind drift to the impossibly intelligent, imposingly strong… and improbably charming Titan. It had, to her regret, been several weeks since her last contact with him. With the alien and corporate interests overturning the village status quo of late, her role as an Archivist in training had kept her incredibly busy.

Despite the distractions, he still dwelled in her thoughts from time to time. He had taught her so much… even let her watch documentaries from the display in his arm. A private smile curved her lips and heat flashed on her cheeks; he had never complained when she had leaned against him to better view the small screen. She didn't like wallowing in her baser instincts, but he _had_ been exotically handsome.

Honestly, she had always assumed that as long as the Tamaraneans were still present, it would only be a matter of time before they met the Titans again. As such, she had taken it for granted, hadn't felt pressured to contact the cybernetic hero.

But now, with the alien ship on the brink of vanishing forever, suddenly her complacency was replaced with desperate intent. As the ancient Chinese proverb went, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'.

That thought brought her back to the present, or at least to near past, and to Cologne's communique. It appeared that the Matriarch was not afraid to take brash, even reckless, action to protect the interests of the village.

The ancient warrior's request filled her with both hope and dread. Hope that she might be allowed to become involved in something that may be remembered forever in Joketsuzoku history… dread that she would inevitably fail to live up to Cologne's expectations and that the resulting memory of her would be most unkind indeed.

She let out a long sigh and rested her head against the ancient wood at her back.

Of course, none of that would matter if they didn't make it to the meeting place with Cologne in the first place.

"By the Ancestors, where _is_ she?"

Spice… the young woman had become something of a blessing and a curse. Lotion had never paid attention to the girl before the Titans' arrival. Spice was much more dedicated to the warrior's path than herself, so they had little reason to talk.

To be fair, as an aspiring scholar, Lotion had little reason to talk to most of her sisters. Her most common companions for the past several years were a select few of the Elders, and, of course, her books. So, while she was well respected for her calling and her knowledge, she was not widely… liked.

Cyborg and Beast Boy, however, had changed all that, just by virtue of being seen with them. Suddenly Spice and herself had become like minor celebrities among their sisters. Beyond that, Spice had, apparently, imprinted on her as her new best friend. Now, not a day passed without the emerald haired warrior trying to drag her out on some new malfeasance.

It seemed that, despite being her complete opposite, the younger Joketsuzoku fighter was not so different as she had first thought. Spice was zealous in her training, even by Amazon standards. As such, she had a way of alienating many of their sisters in her ongoing bid to topple the legendary Shampoo one day.

Even more worrisome, after incidentally ensnaring them into her scheme to torture the Titan males, Elder Perfume had taken a shine to Spice and had decided to help her achieve her goal.

Lotion nodded casually to the pair of guards that strolled past her, along the edge of the field.

The fact that Spice had been the first and only person she had thought of when Cologne had asked her to bring someone she trusted… obviously her own judgement had been compromised by the past few months of association as well.

She – wait, she saw something - something moving through the long grass of the field. It took a second to guess the path, directly towards her two sisters walking their patrol.

Lotion pushed off the wall, readying to call out a warning, when suddenly the swath cutting through the grass accelerated. Nearly too fast to follow and assuredly too fast for the unaware guards to notice, an emerald blur exploded from the crops.

She stopped in mid shout, her face melting into a deadpan.

Spice's legs flashed out once, twice, thrice, and before Lotion could even let out a beleaguered sigh, both guards collapsed to the ground in a well toned and curvy heap.

Wearing a smile far too wide for comfort on someone that just committed simultaneous assault, Spice strolled over to join her. Lotion could only cradle her face in her hands as her erstwhile friend approached. Several years her junior and about a hand shorter, Spice might have seemed unassuming to most, but she was quite the dynamo when motivated.

"Dummy! We're trying to avoid the _Tamaranean_ guards, not our own!"

Spice stared at her blankly, as if _she_ were the one saying something dumb. "Yeah, I know that-" Suddenly a bulb seemed to light up over her head. " _Ohh!_ You mean those two. Oh, no, that was just payback for them messing with me at training earlier."

The scholar in training tried to immolate her companion with her gaze alone… but, unfortunately, she was one hundred years too early to master _that_ technique.

"At least tell me you weren't followed by anyone else."

The young warrior rolled her eyes, obviously offended at the notion. "I've got skills that would make most ninjas weep with envy. Of course, I wasn't followed."

This time, Lotion was the one rolling her eyes. Finally, though, she gave up with a shrug. "Let us make haste, then. We're already behind schedule. If we miss our rendezvous with the Matriarch, I'm sure that we'll be praying for death before she's done with us."

 _That_ seemed to ground her excitable friend. Without another word, they started sprinting for their destination. Staying low, they utilized the long, swaying grain for cover as much as possible. The floating behemoth of the alien ship loomed large in the sky as they closed the distance.

Even after all this time, Lotion still marveled at the sight of the vessel. The design was alien, yet beautiful. Just by looking at the graceful curves, the intricate inlays that covered the hull, it was obvious that this was no mass-produced machine. No, this vessel was a work of art, crafted with loving attention to detail by a true master.

It was a hallmark of the race, she had learned. While they had mass production for basic items, many of the Tamaraneans preferred to spend their time crafting more personalized possessions. Weapons, notably, were always made for the bearer. It was something the Amazons could understand, even Lotion herself, the bond between a warrior and their weapon.

"Over there," Spice whispered harshly as she gestured to the small copse of trees that obscured their meeting point. With fluid grace, they angled off and arrowed between the narrow trunks. Lotion quickly scanned the small clearing, surrounded by a circle of ancient stones.

They… were alone?

"Where is the Matriarch?" Lotion peered around the clearing owlishly.

"It's possible that her flight was delayed. Crossing half the planet in a matter of hours is bound to be a frantic affair."

Lotion nodded. "Yes, that is quite…"

Wait a moment.

"Spice, please tell me that was your concise and eloquent reply."

Silence.

Slowly, the young scholar turned to see Spice. The girl's emerald eyes were open wide and her body rigid as she looked off to the side. Hesitantly, Lotion swung her gaze to follow her friends…

"Elder Perfume!"

The statuesque woman sat perched on top of one of the stone monoliths, staring down at them as a hawk might a mouse. Before she could think, Lotion punched Spice in the shoulder. "I thought you said you _weren't_ followed!"

Spice shook her head emphatically, her green locks whipping back and forth wildly.

"Of course, I didn't follow her." Perfume gracefully dropped from the stone and began to sedately circle them. A bit like a tiger. "I followed _you_ , Lotion. Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look, trying so hard to act casual while you so obviously have something to hide?"

The sensation of her cheeks burning was not helped by her companion's shameless laughter.

"Don't feel too bad," Perfume rolled her wrist lazily as she continued to pace. "You're forty years too early to match _my_ skills."

"And _you_ are sixty years too early to match _mine_ , Perfume."

All three of the warriors started as one, spinning around to stare at the edge of the clearing. The familiar sight of the ancient white-haired warrior, perched effortlessly on her staff, filled Lotion with equal parts relief and dread.

Perfume, for her part, smiled slyly. "Matriarch. I had anticipated that you would attempt _something_ reckless, but don't tell me that you are actually planning on stowing away on that ship."

Cologne wore a potent neutral expression. "Then I won't."

The ancient elder then gestured to Lotion and Spice. "Come along, children. We have work to do." Cologne then turned an owlish eye back Perfume's way. "If you have nothing of value to say, you may take your leave."

The middle-aged Elder bristled visibly at the dismissal. She stepped forward, swiping her hand through the air.

"Do you realize what you are doing? You are going to steal away on the ship of a people that have all but declared war on us. Will then hurtle _millions_ of miles through the void with no hope of escape or return. And then land in the heart of the Tamaranean's empire and make demands of their Grand Ruler?"

Cologne stared impassively as Perfume took another step forward. "This isn't a plan. It is an act of suicide! And worse-" This time, the honored Elder gestured to the two young Amazons. "You would take two of the village's most promising youths on this… this _blaze of glory_ you intend to burn out on?"

For the first time in Lotion's life, she saw Elder Cologne, Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku, set back a step. The wizened woman looked at Lotion, then to Spice, as if seeing them for the first time.

"I - I had not even considered…"

Cologne hopped off her staff, appearing to diminish in many ways. She glanced about, looking at nothing they could see.

"I have grown so used to using the young for my purposes of late." She nodded slowly. "Perhaps you do have the right of things."

Perfume stepped forward and dropped to a knee before the Matriarch. "I respect what you want to do, but the odds are long, and the cost to the village great."

The younger Elder gestured back to the village. "Luthor will make us great. We have no need to throw away the lives of three proud warriors on a distant dream of reaching up past the heavens."

Lotion felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, as if she were standing in an electrical storm. In the distance, she could see the Tamaraneans were starting to board the ship. Before her, she saw an unassailable warrior begin to falter.

Fate loomed large before her… but was pulling back her hand.

"...With all due respect…"

Instantly, the learned young warrior felt her very being collapse in on itself as the combined gazes of two supremely powerful women fell upon her. Uncertainty gripped her for a moment, but rather than wither, she squared her shoulders and stood tall, defiant.

"With all due respect, Honored Elders." She held her breath and matched their stony stares. "You… you may speak for the entirety of the Joketsuzoku nation, but do not deign to speak for me."

She noted the eyes of both Elders widen in surprise. Nodding with determination, she forced herself to continue.

"Do you assume that we did not understand the implications of this mission?" She gestured to Spice, standing fitfully at her side. "That we came to this place out of blind obedience alone?"

Fists clenched, and nails dug into calloused palms. She felt her confidence as Spice stepped forward, nodding fiercely.

"For my entire life, the village was all I knew, this valley, my entire world. But now, Lex Corp, the Tamaraneans… the Titans." She swept her arms up to the heavens. "They have opened up the entire universe to me."

She clasped her hands before her, a gentle smile settling on her lips.

"Cyborg, before he left, taught me the courage to reach for the stars. And our ancestors teach us that our deeds are like the light from those stars, carrying on endlessly, even after our deaths."

Both Cologne and Perfume's harsh expressions softened at her words.

"I have contemplated the infinite nature of the universe much of late, and there is one truth I have learned." She dipped her head respectfully. "In the vastness of time and space, how rare and beautiful it is to even exist."

She felt her chest tighten as the white-haired matriarch began to smile. Short of breath, she forced herself to continue.

"To be given such a treasure, I feel it would be a waste to squander it all hidden away in our tiny village. Not when I have been given the chance to walk the heavens."

Unable to stop herself, even if she had desired it, she took a step forward, sweeping her arms out dramatically.

"With all due respect, Honored Elders. I could not care less what you say! With you, or without you, I _will_ be on that ship." Her piece said, she spun about, matching words with action.

"Wait, Child."

Lotion hesitated, looking over her shoulder but not sure what to expect. Behind her, Cologne, Perfume and Spice were all staring at her, strange expressions on their faces.

The eldest warrior raised a hand to stall her. "It's been a long time, indeed, since I've found myself being lectured, _especially_ by someone barely even a fraction of my own age." Lips so ancient that Lotion could almost hear them creak like wood, twisted up into a wry grin. "And I don't think I have _ever_ needed someone to convince me to pursue my own plans before." A wry laugh. "I would be remiss if you left without me now, young Lotion."

Elder Perfume offered a shallow nod. "That _was_ quite the speech. I think that you have the makings of a formidable member of the Council within you… you know, provided that we survive this madness."

At that, Spice started and looked up at the taller warrior, confusion filling her emerald eyes. "Wait a sec. What do you mean _we_?"

The young Elder shrugged her shoulders, sending a shimmer of moonlight reflecting down the waterfall of Aqua colored hair that ran down to her waist. "I fear I would shame myself if I refused to walk the path that even our talentless neophytes dared to tread." Perfume grinned widely at that. "Besides, I must admit that I have a few things I'd like to… discuss with this 'Grand Ruler' of theirs."

The pair of Elders quickly began to exit the clearing, speaking rapidly in lowered voices. Lotion moved to follow, only to nearly jump out of her skin when she felt a hand on her elbow. She spun to see Spice gazing up on her, eyes shimmering.

"Wow. That was _amazing_! I didn't know you could be such a badass with just using _words_."

Lotion felt her cheeks heat up and waved off the younger warrior's praise. Without another word, the green haired Amazon zipped off after the Elders.

...Off towards the alien ship…

Soon to be hurtling through the stars.

She certainly hoped she could maintain her courage long enough to make it to that behemoth alien vessel.

Lotion touched a finger to her chin as she started to jog after the others.

She also hoped Cologne _had_ a plan to get them on the ship in the first place.

* * *

Sarah sucked in another gasping breath. She was laid out on a sleeping bag close to the fire, still too exhausted to move despite having been let off the hook by Ryouga hours ago.

The martial artist in question was on the far edge of the camp, running through yet another graceful kata. If her bones weren't aching so badly after being subjected to a workout that she was in no way prepared for, she might have enjoyed the way his muscles glistened in the firelight.

Cute he might be, and adorably shy under the right circumstances, but after being endlessly drilled through countless self defense moves, she could only see him as a merciless taskmaster. On the plus side, it wasn't just his dating potential that had been scoured away. The lingering fear that had been in her heart was gone now too.

After seeing how patient he had been with her, and how shamelessly he doted on his true student, almost like an indulgent uncle, she couldn't even imagine him as a villain.

Letting out a low groan, her muscles complaining every inch of the way, she turned to regard her other companion.

Despite having gone through all the training she had, followed by weirder training after Sarah had bowed out, Terra was still on her feet. The slight blonde was currently running through some martial arts kata.

Sarah noted the intense way Terra watched Ryouga across the clearing. She appeared to be trying to match his movements, copying his dance. It was obvious that the young hero was exhausted, and her movements reflected that.

"Have you not had _enough_ yet," Sarah asked, incredulous. "Wasn't, like, six hours enough?"

Terra shook her head, stumbling on a tricky turn that Ryouga pulled off with preternatural ease. "Ryouga is doing different stuff than he taught us."

The exhausted Social Worker turned back to study the martial artist. Honestly, as cool as his demonstration was, she wasn't sure what Terra was talking about.

"I'm not sure I see what you mean."

Punching out once, twice, thrice with surprising force, Terra let out an explosive grunt at the exertion. "I thi- think he was teaching us basic self defense earlier."

Dropping into a low stance, Terra tried to sweep out her leg, only to collapse into a heap. Sweat poured from her face and stained her shirt, but Terra forced herself up.

"This is different. It feels… special. I think-I think this is his _style_."

Could the young heroine tell the difference? It all looked the same to Sarah. But it looked incredibly important to Terra. Tears formed at the corners of the young fighter's eyes as she tried to force her hands up again.

Only for her to finally collapse to her knees bonelessly, nothing left to give. As her tiny chest heaved like a bellows, Sarah felt her own chest tighten at the display.

"But why is that important?"

Taking a few more desperate gulps of air, Terra finally turned her way. The slight girl absently traced her fingers in the dirt.

"It's just, for everything he's done for me, I don't really know _anything_ about him _."_ Terra's eyes slid back to her mentor, watching him avidly. "I feel like, if I learn this, I might understand him better."

Sarah couldn't help but be impressed with Terra's dedication to her teacher. It was all but impossible to reconcile the sensitive girl before her with the living nightmare that had driven her and her family from their home.

Seeing her like this, so desperate to improve herself, her powers _and_ her heart, Sarah found herself trying to imagine what could have driven her to such depths of hatred. Could this even be the same Terra that had tried to destroy the Titans, the entire city?

Was it possible that all it took to pull this terrible titan back from the darkness was the helping hand of an earnest, if a bit goofy, martial artist from halfway across the world? It seemed hard to believe; she doubted anyone else would believe her if she told them.

But, maybe Ryouga was right. Maybe Terra just needed to let her actions speak for her, like she'd done for Sarah. Maybe she just needed one helping hand at a time to help pull her away from what she'd been.

"Terra," she began tentatively, "I wanted to apologize to you."

The geokinetic hero looked at her askance. "What for?"

Sarah ducked her head. "You were right, earlier. I am a jerk. I post on the Cyblog a lot. I said… some pretty terrible things about you when Cyborg broke the news that you were back."

Terra stared at her silently, only to look away, shadows hiding her face. "You don't need to apologize. I did terrible things. I - I know I hurt a lot of people. And I know that nothing I can do will ever make that right."

"That's not true!" Despite her stomach screaming at her, she sat up to drop a hand on Terra's narrow shoulder. "The fact that you are here, trying so hard, shows me that you really are determined to make things right."

Her companion looked back at her, the glimmer of tears in her eyes once more. "Do you… really think so?"

A confident nod was her reply. "Hey, working with troubled youth is _kind_ of my specialty. I have a pretty good feeling for kids that are serious about overcoming their demons."

Feeling better, but not wanting to push too far, too fast, Sarah turned to the other side of the clearing and called out. "Hey, Ryouga! Would you give it a rest, already? You've got a pair of starving girls over here, and you're the only one that can still move enough to cook!"

Begrudgingly, the distant martial artist brought his training to a conclusion and moved to join them. One quick swipe with a towel and he looked fresh as a daisy, in contrast to the pair of sweaty messes sprawled on the ground.

On second thought, maybe Ryouga _was_ a bit evil, rubbing it in their faces like that.

The bandana clad guy chuckled as he approached, no sign of his shyness showing now. Then again, considering her current state, Sarah felt about as sexy as week old laundry.

Moving with practiced ease, which was how he seemed to do everything out here in the woods, Ryouga unpacked some supplies and started preparing some form of stew.

"You know, Terra, if you're really serious about learning martial arts beyond just controlling your powers, there are better styles out there than mine."

Terra's cheeks puffed out indignantly at the suggestion. "No way! Your school is the only one I want to learn! You better not be trying to foist me off on someone like Ranma!"

Sarah watched the interaction with interest, even if the names didn't mean anything to her.

Hibiki shook his head, chuckling. "It seems to be working fine for Jinx, but no. The Anything Goes School is too aerial to suit people as grounded as us. Mousse might be able to give you some good lessons, now that I think about it. But, honestly, I'm still holding out for Cologne. She's the teacher that someone of your talent really deserves."

Now Sarah was feeling a bit worried, as now the Japanese boy was just naming random bathroom products, but Terra seemed mollified at least as soon as this 'Ranma' person had been dismissed.

"Well, as long as it's just pointers. I still want to learn the Hibiki school more than anything!"

Ryouga held up his hands in surrender. "Look, you have plenty to learn before we get to that point. Let's not bore poor Miss Simms with all of our shop talk."

Soon enough, dinner was served in large bowls wafting with steam. The meal passed with some light conversation and good-natured teasing. After that, the doting martial arts master cleaned up after them and washed all the dishes for the next meal.

By the time all was said and done, the sun was set, the fire was roaring and all three of them were tucked into sleeping bags next to the fire and nursing cups of delicious hot chocolate. Entire boxes of cookies prepared by Kasumi were sprawled all around them as the pair of heroes seemed intent on making at least a dent in the stockpile.

Sarah had to admit, the kids had definitely missed out. This Ryouga really knew how to make camping as comfortable as possible. She would have to thank Kasumi for convincing her to come out.

She also needed to get her cookie recipe too!

"Alright! Now to move on to proper camping business!" Terra looked at the both of them expectantly, a smile on her face.

Ryouga, for his part, rolled his eyes. "Not your 'Camping Protocol' again. Can't you let the camping experience just happen?"

"Not a chance! I got gipped last night. I'm not going to bed until I get, at the absolute minimum, one story session."

Sarah giggled shamelessly, suddenly feeling much more in her element. Dealing with a demanding youngster was a daily experience for her. She realized her mistake a second too late, as her titter of amusement drew Ryouga's attention her way. One of his eyebrows arched in an 'Oh really?' kind of way.

"You know, maybe that's not a bad idea. Say, Miss Simms, why don't you tell us how you know Cyborg? There has to be more than just being a fan of his blog."

She glared back at him for a second, but it was hard to stay mad at that cute little fanged grin. "You know you can just call me Sarah, right?" She gave a long, put upon sigh, but a single look at the excited glint in Terra's eye sealed her fate.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt." Settling in, she took another sip of her cocoa.

"You probably don't know, but my specialty is physiotherapy. I work mainly with children that have suffered traumatic accidents. I try to help them come to terms with their injuries, and to return to as close to a normal life as possible. A part of that is often helping them learn to use and get used to new prosthetics."

She felt a small swell of pride at the looks of astonishment that were forming on her new friend's faces.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Terra gushed. "Why didn't you mention that before?"

Sarah waved her hand dismissively. "It's hardly amazing compared to people that can move mountains with their brains. I just do what I can to help people."

Ryouga nodded knowingly. "I think I'm starting to see how the pieces of this puzzle fit together."

She nodded back. "Yeah, a few months back, I had taken my kids out to the park for a game of baseball. The day was going great, until we were attacked by…"

The social worker paused, suddenly realizing what she was about to say. Her hesitation prompted Terra to lean forward. "Attacked by what?"

She grimaced, covering her eyes with her free hand. "Oh man, this is going to sound stupid, now that I have to actually say it out loud."

A wide grin suddenly spread over the bandanna clad boy's lips. "Attacked by something stupid? Now _that's_ Nerima talk! Trust me, you'll be hard pressed to surprise me." He chuckled that evil chuckle of his. "My budd- _ahem_ , rival, he had to fight a monkey trained in Martial Arts Tea Ceremony once."

It took Sarah a moment to absorb that tidbit. "...Really… Did he win?"

"Yeah," Terra added, grinning mischievously, "Did Ranma really _spank the monkey_?"

" _Terra_!"

Sarah couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity, suddenly not feeling nearly as ridiculous.

"Thanks for that. Alright, so we got attacked by… well, by a giant Heart."

The martial artist came up short in his laughter. "Uh, do you mean a Hart, like a giant deer? If so, then I've been there."

She filed away that peculiar fact for later and shook her head. "Nope. Like a giant blood pumping organ that floated around and attacked you with giant slimy tentacles."

" _Eww, gross_!" Terra summed up perfectly.

Ryouga paused for a moment, before ducking his head and pulling off his bandanna. "I stand corrected. My hat is off to you MIs- uh - Sarah. Even by Nerima standards, that's just crazy."

Feeling somewhat proud at stumping the fanged fighter, Sarah giggled happily. "Even better, it turned out that the thing was named 'Cardiac'."

Terra groaned loudly. "Don't tell me. Cyborg yelled out ' _Cardiac, you're under arrest_!', right?"

"Was there even a doubt?"

Ryouga nodded. "Cyborg always has the best lines."

If the martial artist noticed both females rolling their eyes, he gave no sign.

"So, yeah, Cyborg showed up in the nick of time, beat down the baddie. Then, he actually finished the rest of the game with me and the children." She gave a heartfelt sigh. "He was just so amazing. And the kids just loved him, you know, when they weren't grinding his gears."

This time, it was her that missed the pair of heroes sharing a pointed look and grinning broadly. She tapped a finger to her chin. "I guess that was mostly it. It was after that, that I really started following his blog. You know, to let him know the kids were doing fine."

"Oh, of _course_ that's the reason," Terra replied cheekily.

Sarah puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "Oh yeah? Well I do believe it's _your_ turn to tell a story, little Miss Sarcasm."

The younger blonde looked put on the spot.

"A story? Me? Um, what can I tell a story about?"

Ryouga eyed his pupil incredulously. "What? All this talk about stories and you didn't even have one ready? Did you just expect me to tell you stories all week?"

Grinning shamelessly, Terra ruffled a hand through her hair. "Kinda, sorta?"

The sound of the martial master's put-upon groan set Sarah to giggling again. It died soon enough, as something did occur to her. She turned back to the young Titan.

"Terra… maybe you could tell us the story of how you ended up working for that criminal, Slade? I'm sure if you explained why you-"

She didn't have time to finish, as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking back, she saw Ryouga shaking his head slowly.

"It's just story time, Terra. You don't have to talk about that, or yourself, if you don't want to."

Sarah was about to question his judgement, until she noticed the look of… almost horror on Terra's face that was quickly melting into relief.

"Thanks, Ryouga." Terra curled up on herself, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Sorry, it's - it's just too soon. You have to realize, for me, it's only been a few weeks since… all of that happened."

 _Oh… right…_ The blonde social worker suddenly felt the fool. That hadn't even occurred to her, but it was obvious now that she thought of it.

"I guess I can go. I got plenty of ghost stories," Ryouga offered.

"No, I want to go," Terra interrupted emphatically. She rubbed her chin. "Just… can I tell you something else. It's… my favorite fairy tale. I'd kind of like you to hear it."

Sarah noted that while Terra was speaking to both of them, she was looking pointedly at Ryouga. Her teacher grinned a fang filled grin. "Go right ahead. Age before beauty, after all."

The small blonde stuck her tongue out at him before nodding. Sitting up and clasping her hands around her knees, the slight girl settled in, a far away look settling over her features.

"Alright… well, a long time ago, there was a magical kingdom. It was called… uh… Marvonia. It was a beautiful country, filled with emerald forests, sapphire rivers and enchanted castles."

Sarah smiled, sipping on her hot chocolate, noting Ryouga doing the same.

"This kingdom was very lucky, in that it had a _beautiful_ Princess, and a handsome Prince. They lived happily with their parents, who were always kind and gentle with their people."

A wistful smile settled on Terra's lips. "The Prince was always proper and brave, like a true prince should be. The Princess, though, was headstrong, and a bit of a tomboy, always causing problems."

Ryouga chuckled. "Now _that's_ story content that I, the target audience, can relate to."

" _Ryouga_! Shut up!"

The fanged fighter laughed, dodging a flying stone.

" _Anyway_ ," Terra continued with a huff, "Despite being a perfect, wonderful place, the kingdom wasn't free from strife. The kingdom had enemies. Jealous rulers, envious of what they had lurked on every border. Worse yet, these enemies only grew in number and power with each passing year, and all too soon, war broke out."

The smile faded from the story teller's face. "Things seemed to be hopeless for the noble King. But, one day, an… evil Witch arrived in the kingdom, demanding an audience."

She hugged her knees more tightly. "She made a simple offer. She would give the King the power to save his country, to sweep aside all his envious rivals. All it would cost him… was his children."

Sarah sighed. Why did evil witches always want the children?

"The King, of course, refused… at first. But as things got worse, and the war dragged on, his General, and ancient, hateful man, finally convinced him to agree to the bargain.

"The Witch, she took the young Princess and Prince, and she used them, changed them. That was the bargain. She gave the King's children great power, and they would be forced to wage his war for him now."

This story was starting to get a bit dark for Sarah's taste. Was this one of those Grimm's Fairy Tales? Those were always so terrible. And was this really her favorite story?

"The Prince, as brave and true as ever, took up the sword for his father. But the Princess… she was younger than her brother. Young and scared and not ready for the strange new powers that had been forced on her."

Terra opened and closed her hands several times, staring at her curled fingers. On Sarah's other side, a queer look began to cloud Ryouga's face as he listened.

"So, one day, the Princess, terrified that she might hurt the people she was supposed to protect… she ran away. She left her brother to save the kingdom and abandoned her family and her people.

"And… she was never seen again. And, I guess that's the end of the story." Terra rolled her wrists absently. "I guess the moral is 'be careful what you wish for', or 'some prices are too high' or some junk… but, yeah, that's it."

Sarah looked at Terra oddly, before smiling weakly. "Um, yeaaahhh. That was great. Thanks for sharing that… lovely story. So, uh, how about you, Ryouga?"

Ryouga was still staring at Terra intently, only to give his head a shake when he registered Sarah's inquiry.

"Oh, right. What did you guys want to hear, again? Japan created ghost stories, you know, so I got a million of them. Beast Boy told me a few of your tall tales, too. How about the hook hand one?"

Before Sarah could make a suggestion, Terra nearly leapt out of her sleeping bag. "Uh-uh! I need a romantic story! I wanna story about Jinx!"

Ryouga's face screwed up amusingly. "What? That's not fair! Romance _is_ a horror story for me. You don't even know the hell I've been through because of the girls I know… and Ranma."

Giggling at his emphatic reaction, something struck Sarah. "Wait, did you say _Jinx_? As in the villainess that was always fighting the Titans?" her eyes widened, "You _dated_ her?"

He let out a long-suffering groan. "Can I claim the 'Too soon to talk about it' defense?"

"No way! Only _I_ get to do that. You gotta spill!"

Ryouga looked to Sarah, seeking her backup at the obvious injustice. Instead, she offered a helpless shrug.

"Sorry, Ryouga, but dating cute little bad girls is _way_ too juicy gossip. And after that last story, I could use a dose of romance myself."

The fanged martial artist glared at her. "Just so you know, I loathe you."

"That's sweet. Now shut up and entertain us!"

"That's right! Tell us about your first date!"

Ryouga shook his head. "Feh, that will be difficult, considering I've never even been on a date with Jinx."

He leaned back, ignoring their rolling eyes. Slowly, a wistful expression settled over his face.

"Still, there was this one night, back when I first got to the Academy." He chuckled, gesturing to Terra. "It was back before they realized my… issue, so, needless to say, I ended up wandering the city with no clue where I was, or how to find anyone."

Issue? Sarah wondered what issue he meant. Also, what was this Academy? Before she could interrupt, he continued his recollection.

"It all started when I ran into this lost little boy, looking for his Mom."

He chuckled to himself.

"It went something like this…"


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

Terra waved energetically to the departing bus as it was swallowed up by the brilliant reds, yellows and oranges of the autumn forest lining the twisting country road. The geokinetic hero admitted that Sarah had been nothing like she'd expected. Despite the devastating news about the children being afraid to meet her, the bubbly woman had managed to turn the evening around and cheer her up immensely. Also, she _still_ couldn't get over the older blonde's _figure_.

Speaking of which.

"Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?" She turned to regard her mentor as he weakly waved. His face was still beet red, and he seemed to be wavering towards collapse.

"I'm fine," he assured her in a shaky voice, "This kind of thing happens… more than I'd like to admit."

Terra avidly avoided looking at the twisted tissues stuffed up her invulnerable master's nose. "Are you serious? I have _never_ seen someone's nose literally _explode_ blood before!"

"I wasn't prepared for her to _hug_ me goodbye like that," Ryouga sighed in defeat. Gingerly, he pulled out the red nose plugs and tossed them off the side of the road. "And I thought I was getting better at filing cute girls into the Genderless Blob category with Ukyou…"

Terra eyed the martial artist for a moment. "You scare me sometimes, Ryouga… but what the heck does getting hugged by a cute girl have to do with you hemorrhaging nose blood by the gallon? I thought you were gonna die!"

He dug his toe in the dirt awkwardly. "Um… I'll tell you when you're older. Anyway, that's all in the distant past now, time to forget it and move on."

"Older? What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Questions started popping into her head, one after the next in rapid succession. "And how come you never do that when _I_ hug you? And what's this 'genderless blob Ukyou' stuff? I've seen her on the video calls, she's, like, a slammin' hottie!" A sudden realization. "Wait, am _I_ a ' _genderless blob_ ' to you?"

It wasn't too often that Terra got to build up a really good head of righteous female fury, and she found herself enjoying the sight of Ryouga wilting under her bombardment of questions… until a glimpse of inspiration flashed through her mentor's eyes.

Standing straight, a sinister grin sliding onto his lips, Ryouga held up a single finger to silence her.

"Now, Terra, I _could_ spend all day explaining my completely real and logical explanations to all of those questions. _Or..._ " His smile widened and he leaned in conspiratorially. "Or, I could teach you something _really_ special instead."

Indecision racked the slight blonde for several long seconds of teeth grinding and hand wringing, before her need for training finally defeated her desire for gossip in a bloody, no holds barred cage match.

A disgruntled grunt signaled her defeat as she dipped her head. "... _Fine."_

Ryouga flashed a smile of triumph, oddly, it didn't seem to fit his face too well, but it was probably just a trick of the morning light. The bandanna clad martial artist then began to glance around the woods surrounding them, searching for something.

"Good. Now, we've made a lot of progress with your conscious control of your powers." Absently, her teacher walked over to a tree, only to kneel and scoop up a handful of acorns. He continued to lecture her over his shoulder. "So, now that we've got the basics down, we can start building back up again, starting with your most glaring weakness."

That set Terra back a step. "Wait. _What_ weakness? You never said I had a weakness before, just that I was too strong!"

Seeming satisfied with his find, Ryouga stood and turned to regard her. Tucking the acorns into his pocket, he tilted his head as he studied her. "Being too strong _is_ a weakness if you can't -" Her mentor donned an uncharacteristically frustrated expression (at least uncharacteristic for when he was dealing with her). "Look, I _could_ explain, but maybe a demonstration might better make my point," he gestured to a spot in the middle of the road, "Alright, you go stand over there."

Once she took her place, she turned to stare at the martial artist expectantly. For his part, he moved to a spot about forty feet away from her and began to limber up, stretching his legs and swinging his arms around.

"Well, so what's this _glaring_ weakness I supposedly have?" Honestly, she wasn't sure why this was bugging her so much. She guessed there was a difference between people telling you that you were 'too awesome for your own good' and telling you that there was something you were actually bad at.

Nodding to himself, finished with his warmup, Ryouga knelt, like a sprinter at the starting line. Then… he just paused.

" _Well_?" she asked, growing impatient.

"Sorry," he muttered, apparently concentrating fiercely on standing still. "Going full out is dangerous, so I want to make sure I'm totally focused."

Wait, what? What did he mean by that? What was 'going full-'

Terra's thought was derailed as Ryouga's hair whipped up above his bandanna, a violent tempest manifesting from nothing around him. A moment later, she felt the breeze herself; not the cool winds of fall, but a warm pressure vying to push her back. She squinted her eyes as she regarded the martial artist; it was weird, she could almost see something around him. Some kind of... azure haze?

Time slowed to a crawl and the world seemed to stretch out and blur at her periphery, her focus forming a claustrophobic tunnel between her and the fanged martial artist. The same icy dread she felt all the way back when she was trussed up in a sack about to have a boulder hurled at her seeped into her veins.

"Terra! Defend yourself!"

The geokinetic fought through her panic, straining to raise her hand to form a barrier-

In a blur of yellow and black, Ryouga vanished!

A fraction of a second later a gale blasted past and something poked her forehead hard enough to rock her head back.

She managed to open her eyes, still watering from the burst of wind in her face. Not feeling fully reconnected to reality yet, she absently noted the black spots on her master's bandanna, now close enough that she could count them. His arm was outstretched, his finger still resting against her forehead.

"Wha-?" she asked, still trying to figure out what happened.

Chuckling evilly to himself, Ryouga gave her another gentle tap before lowering his arm. "Now, I know I'm not nearly as fast as Ranma, but I think that should give you an idea of what I mean, right?"

Stumbling back a step, Terra rubbed her forehead vigorously. " _Owww_! What the heck are you trying to teach me? The joys of concussions?"

A worried lock graced her mentor's face and he leaned forward, gently using his hand to brush her hair away from her grievous injury. Terra felt her cheeks begin to burn as his thumb swept over the small bump on her forehead, like a feather tickling her skin.

"I'm sorry, I tapped you a bit harder than I meant to." He let her hair flop back over her face and then ruffled it mercilessly into a staticky mess. "But you'll survive. Which is more than I can say if I'd been a bad guy."

Ryouga wiggled his finger ominously, his fanged grin taking on a malevolent bent. "I can punch this finger through solid stone, after all, just imagine what it could do to your skull?"

Terra felt a sizable lump form in her throat as she considered his implication. Taking several futile moments to try to fix her hair, the geokinetic tried to think about what had just happened.

"You… you moved so fast I could barely see you. What the heck even was that?"

A grim smile settled on his lips.

"Just showing you how I felt right after Ranma learned the Chestnut Fist." Taking a step back, he cracked his knuckles. "Which takes us to the heart of your lesson."

Ryouga took a moment to cross his arms over his chest and fix her with a serious stare.

"Terra, how did I hit you?"

"In the head," she grumbled, " _Hard_!"

He rolled his eyes. "I meant, _why_ did you let me hit you?"

" _Let you_?" the young blonde barked incredulously, "You moved so fast I couldn't even react!"

"And there we have it." The martial artist clapped his hands loudly together. "As powerful as you are, your reflexes are still those of an average person. It's why you have trouble keeping up with people like Robin in a fight. He's quick enough to bypass your defenses and get into hand to hand, which isn't your strength."

The slight blonde glared at her feet. It wasn't Robin she thought of when recalling a martial artist piercing her defenses like nothing. Her first encounter with Slade had been a humiliating defeat. He beat her while they were in a tunnel, _underground_! The only thing that had driven the relentless villain away had been her complete loss of control.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see her teacher's concerned face.

"Don't worry about your speed. If speed was all that mattered, I'd never be able to tag that jerk Ranma, at all." He shook his head. "No, the reason you couldn't defend against my charge was because you were _reacting,_ when you should have been _predicting._ "

"Predicting? How could I…" A thought occurred to the young hero. "Actually, you did yell at me to defend myself… so now I just feel like a dope."

He chuckled in amusement then tilted his head back in what he obviously assumed was the direction of the camp. She caught his meaning and quickly grabbed his sleeve as she walked past him.

"Yelling warnings is a bit of a force of habit," he admitted ruefully, running his free hand through his shaggy hair. "In retrospect, I was really terrible at surprise attacks back in the day."

Ducking various branches, she continued to drag her lecturing teacher. "Anyway, that's what I plan on teaching you next. How to anticipate your opponent's attacks, predict them, so that you can act first, rather than react. With your power, it should go a long way to providing an impenetrable defense."

All too soon, they were back at the campsite, and immediately Ryouga went about packing up his things. She set about the same, already feeling the excitement building, not just at the idea of such cool new training, but of their promised change of venue to the desert.

Terra loved the desert for some reason. Maybe it was the fact that it was vast tracts of empty land with no one around.

"So, how do you learn to predict people's actions? Is it some kind of telepathy trick?"

Her mentor spent a long moment meticulously rolling up his sleeping bag into a tight bundle before responding. "Nothing so easy, unfortunately." He shook his head, the expression on his face reflecting deep distaste. "Remind me to tell you about the Headmaster some time."

While she was still working on the first pole of her tent, he was already packing up the cooking gear.

"To start, it's mainly focusing on your senses. Hearing, vision, touch, even smell. Taking in every detail around you and noticing even the smallest details." Ryouga paused his work to take a quick martial stance. His fists tightened until his knuckles went white and he ground his feet fiercely into the dirt. "The sound of tendons stretching. The sharp intake of my breath. The tensing of the muscles in my legs and arms. If you can perceive all those details, understand what they mean, then you can begin to analyze just what I might be planning to do next."

Terra stared for a long second, watching her teacher's muscles move in so many interesting ways beneath his tight t-shirt. Realization at just what she was doing struck, and she spun around on the spot, her cheeks tingling again.

She coughed loudly into her fist before slowly turning back. "Uhh, that sounds pretty cool, but how can you possibly be analyzing every tiny detail every second of the day like that? It sounds exhausting."

Relaxing once more, Ryouga tucked his toe under his umbrella before kicking it up into his hand and placing it on his pack.

"Well, that's the best part." He offered her a fanged grin. "Once you get used to doing it, it just kind of… happens on its own. It forms the basis of what we call your Dairokkan, or your Sixth Sense, I suppose. Some people also call it Sakkijutsu, though that's a bit more specific as 'sensing killing intent' as opposed to just general awareness."

"Killing intent? Is that even a thing?"

He nodded gravely. "It's deadly serious business. My own sakkijutsu is pretty good. I've done things like catch arrows shot at my back and the like." He gave a rueful shake his head. "Now _Ranma_ though. His sakkijutsu is insane. I've seen him literally dodge attacks in his sleep."

Her eyes widened in awe. "How the heck does he do _that_?"

"Well, if I knew that, I wouldn't have missed!" Ryouga gave an evil laugh as he dropped his pack to the ground to use as a stool while she continued her distracted packing. "That level of awareness, I think, gets more into the esoteric arts, with ki and whatnot…"

Her teacher rubbed his chin in thought. "...Though, I've actually made a few leaps in sensing ki myself, with all the work of restoring you. Maybe it's worth a try…"

"Hey! Worry about your training on your own time!" Terra barked with a wry grin. "You're already the super martial artist, after all."

Ryouga waved off her ire, gesturing to the rest of her gear that needed to be packed up. "I'm only as good as I am because I _don't_ stop training. Besides, haven't you heard that the best teaching flows both ways? You learning from me is the goal, but that doesn't mean I can't learn from you as well."

She took a few moments to finish packing before hefting her own pack. Luckily, Sarah had taken the bulk of Kasumi's 'supplies' with her for the kids, so she didn't need to drag a small island with her anymore. Seeing she was ready, Ryouga stood and donned his pack as well.

"This training is more important than you think, though. This isn't just about protecting yourself from your enemies. It's also about protecting everyone else from you, as well."

Terra paused at his words. "What do you mean by that?"

A familiar darkness reached up around the edges of her heart at the reminder of being a danger to those around her.

Ryouga scratched his head in thought for a moment. "Well, I'm sure you've seen videos of people sneaking up on, or just bumping into martial artists or soldiers, only to have them freak out and hit the person, or throw them or some other such reaction?"

She nodded. Beast Boy had shown her a few 'prank' videos that involved the prankster getting a face full of knuckles for their trouble. When it came to fight or flight, some people just went with the former.

"Now, if you're in wartime, those aren't the worst reactions to have. However, considering we live in a modern city, where virtually one hundred percent of people you run into are just going to be normal, good people, what happens if some random person were to bump into me-" Ryouga then swung his arm to his side with deceptive grace-

And blasted a twelve-inch chunk out of the tree standing beside him in an explosion of splinters and bark. With a loud groan the trunk splintered and listed to the side before collapsing to the earth with a tremendous crash. Once the dust cleared, Ryouga gestured to the downed plant.

"And I reacted like _that_?"

Terra felt the blood drain from her face at the visceral demonstration. It suddenly occurred to her that this wasn't just a lesson that Ryouga was making up, whole cloth, for her benefit. This was an issue that he lived with, something that he had to be on constant guard for. As strong as he was, even the smallest mistake could be…

As terrifying as the implications were, both for him and herself, she felt… elated for some reason. This was Ryouga passing on his own life experiences, letting her inside his head, just the tiniest bit to see a glimpse of how he saw the world.

How delicate the rest of the world must look to someone as powerful as Ryouga.

It was different from how she saw the world. Less a world of tissue paper, and more a video game. While he might destroy anything he touched, her problem was that the earth itself responded to her slightest command. If she were to randomly punch a transgressor, honestly, most people might barely even notice her strike.

But if she panicked, even for a moment, and unleashed her power on an unsuspecting innocent… What Ryouga did to that tree could very well be a mercy.

Terra chewed on the tip of her thumb, the taste of dusty leather on her tongue. Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy, even Raven… _especially_ Raven, whose problems were far closer to her own than she wanted to admit. This must be something they all dealt with all the time as well.

However, this was the first time anyone had really explained it, demonstrated it, and really drove the point home for her.

Thinking back now, she could think of more than one case where something had startled her, and things had… gone wrong. Slade had been all too eager to recount the trail of destruction that her inexperience had left in her wake before she met the Titans. Perhaps if she had met Ryouga before all of this started, all those years ago, if she'd received his guidance back then, she might have avoided so much pain, her own, the Titans, and everyone else she had hurt.

"Ryouga, are you going to teach this to everyone else, too?"

Having waited patiently for her to finally respond, he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. Starfire already has her own training. Cyborg has his safety limiters. And Raven is, well, Raven." He must have seen something on her face that made him uncomfortable, as he quickly added, "Still, it never hurts to ask. Though, I'm not even certain I _can_ teach it yet. Let's figure you out first before we worry about the others, okay?"

She nodded, feeling a small, relieved smile slip onto her face. "Alright, so what's the first step?"

Gesturing for her to take the lead, Ryouga tucked his hand into his bulging pocket, causing the acorns within to rattle quietly. "Well, we need to start working on your spatial awareness. And, lucky you, I think I might have just the training method to help." He offered her a fanged grin. "So, lead the way, and I'll explain as we walk."

Shrugging her narrow shoulders, Terra spun on her heel, already having planned out the best way to get to the desert from their current location. It would be quite a few hours of walking, but at least they'd be accomplishing something on the way, from the sounds of it.

The would-be-Titan was curious as to just what her teacher had cooked up for her. Maybe pointing out things around them in the forest and seeing if she'd notice them? Or maybe he had come up with some kind of crazy walking meditation? Something that made you glow, explode things, and get lost all… the… time…

Terra noticed, rather abruptly, that the only sounds she could currently hear were her own footsteps kicking up fallen leaves. It might just be her, but she was pretty sure that 'explaining things' usually involved things like 'talking' and 'being present'. Slowly, she turned to glance over her shoulder, where she expected to see the familiar form of the walking disaster area that was her master.

Dread began to build in her gut as she failed to see any combination of green, yellow or fang behind her.

"...Ryooouuuga? Are you-"

A keen whistle was followed by a sharp _thwap_ and Terra sprang over a foot into the air. She landed a second later, vigorously rubbing her posterior, already feeling a welt forming. On the ground, she saw the culprit, laying on the ground, staring up at her mockingly.

A single acorn.

Ryouga's familiar laugh drew her attention to a tree a few yards away, as the martial artist stepped out into view. In his hand, he effortlessly juggled three more of the accursed nuts.

He shook his head in mock anguish. "What a shameful student I have. Can't even avoid an acorn moving _that_ slow? It looks like we have a _lot_ of work ahead of us here."

Terra could only stare at him, incapable of processing everything she was feeling in that instant.

"Did you… just _fire_ an _acorn..._ at my _butt_?"

He nodded, oblivious to her tone. "And you didn't even _attempt_ to defend yourself. But don't worry, we have a few good hours to practice while we walk. Once you get used to listening to your surroundings more carefully, you'll be blocking these things in no time."

It took several long moments of deep breathing to finally swallow down the surging wrath that was bubbling over within her, but, gradually, she tried to process what he was saying. Absently rubbing her sore cheek, she grumbled, but tried to analyze his meaning.

Listening to her surroundings? Well, she supposed the idea made _some_ sense… in the way that _anything_ involving Ryouga made any kind of sense, anyway. All she had to do was train herself up so that she could hear the acorns coming, and then block them? At least it wasn't as bad as the whole boulder training. As long as she was focused, and didn't let herself get distracted, there was no way it could be too har-

_Thwap!_

" _Mother F-"_

* * *

Spice forced herself to exhale as slowly as she could without going blue in the face. Normally, she took pride in her boundless energy, but now it was taking everything she had to contain her frantic nature. She cracked open an eye and let out an annoyed grunt at her current situation.

It turned out that being fidgety in an environment without any gravity meant getting used to opening your eyes and finding yourself upside down more often than not.

A quick glance to the side, after shifting her head several times to clear a path through the floating tendrils of green hair that encircled her head like a cloud of shimmering kelp, revealed the wall where Lotion and the Elders had settled after several hours of floating about in perfect stillness. The ancient masters and her adept friend moved so little that one could mistake them for corpses.

_Or a desiccated mummy in Cologne's case!_

Spice, on the other hand, had learned that even the gentlest of twitches would push her off a surface and send her slowly tumbling through the air. And in a cavernous, dimly lit hold stuffed with countless crates, there were plenty of surfaces to bounce off.

Plenty of surfaces, but not a single hand hold, handle, or strap in sight, much to her consternation. Of course, why would people that could swim through the void of space with the same ease as a fish through the water worry about such things?

Reaching out, she brushed a finger against one of the crates that appeared to be stuck to the floor by sorcery and sent herself drifting slowly back towards the wall where the others rested. She had already made the mistake of pushing herself full force once; it had taken several hard bounces to finally orient herself again. At least these small movements were helping her get used to the proper way to move in the absence of gravity, though she doubted she would be able to master it to the degree to let her battle one of the Orange Aliens on equal footing any time soon.

A wry chuckle escaped her throat. As if it hadn't been bad enough, spending so many years just trying to catch up to the infamous Shampoo. Now, suddenly there was an entire _race_ of people, all blessed with strength and power to shame any human. Spice wondered if even Shampoo was feeling that keen stab of jealousy these days. After all, hadn't it been months ago that Beast Boy, that adorable man-child, had informed her that his companion, Starfire, had mastered the legendary Hiryua Shoten Ha? Mastered a technique that she had only been used as a training assistant, and then used it to defeat the very person that Cologne had trained to use the technique in the first place?

Even the prodigy Shampoo had not managed the same feat, nor mastered any of the other advanced techniques that Spice heard legend of. Did all Tamaraneans possess that same raw talent, or was it just the red headed alien princess?

Or - Spice felt acute discomfort settle in her stomach - or was the current generation of Amazons just that bereft of talent? It was one thing for a powerful female warrior, a monarch even, to learn their sacred techniques… but what about the outsider male that had been with the Titans? He had learned several of their most powerful secrets and knew several other esoteric and amazing techniques as well. And rumors were that Shampoo's outsider husband was even _more_ talented!

Perhaps the problem wasn't outwards, trying to measure up to those around her, such as Shampoo and her famous lineage, or Starfire and her alien strength. Maybe it was something that she was missing, that all her sisters were lacking, something that she needed to find before she could unlock her true potential.

With a dull ' _thunk'_ , her head impacted the wall, and she let out a put-upon sigh at the choked giggle that escaped her friend's lips. Then again, maybe she was just overthinking things, and the entire universe was just unfair. Boredom was a more attractive alternative to her current self-reflection. Maybe if she could actually get to sleep - she couldn't even track how many hours they had been floating here in the near dark - but it continued to elude her.

Granted, it probably wasn't a good idea to sleep while free floating, but anything was better than this.

A loud chiming sound echoed through the hold, jarring the young warrior from her thoughts as she looked around in surprise. The sudden jolt sent her spinning into the hold once more, while her companion's eyes merely snapped open at the unexpected sound.

"Attention," a voice, male and vaguely familiar, sounded from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

"Attention, to the group of unauthorized passengers currently situated in our hold, this is your Captain speaking."

Cologne looked to Perfume, Lotion looked to Spice, and every other permutation of said looks possible all occurred in a brief instant.

"Please do not be alarmed," the voice continued in a calm tone. "I would like to take this time to cordially invite you to join us on the bridge. We need to discuss this rather delicate diplomatic situation that your actions have placed us all in."

Spice looked to the Honored Matriarch for guidance. The snowy-haired ancient looked around the room, obviously weighing every potential for victory available, her bark like knuckles began to creak as her grip tightened on her staff.

"As a sign of good faith and a demonstration of our desire to speak in a civilized manner," the Captain's voice rang out, sounding supremely confident, "We have contravened the standard protocol of venting all atmosphere from the ship, as it does tend to make speech difficult."

The emerald haired Amazon's eyes widened at the frank statement. The thought of slowly suffocating in this metal box had not been one of the scenarios she had contemplated in the case they were discovered. Granted, most of those scenarios had involved her engaging in glorious battle with their alien enemies, bouncing from wall to wall like in a bad anime.

A good-humored chuckle rattled Cologne's withered throat, surprising the distraught Spice.

"My, my. It appears that we underestimated our opponents this time."

Perfume nodded, smiling confidently. "I wonder how they discovered us. I had thought our infiltration had been flawless."

Lotion, on the other hand, did not share the Elders' effortless calm. "I-I suppose we should go ask?"

As if in answer to her question, the large double door set into the wall to the north - _Wait, was it still north? Did north even exist here?_ \- the door _over there_ , slid open, flooding the hold with light from the hallway beyond.

"If our honored guests would please follow the corridor, at the end there is a vertical access shaft that will bring you to the bridge." There was a brief pause. "I have seen fit to clear your path of all personnel to minimize any chances of… issues."

Awkwardly, Lotion began to push off the wall, but pushed too hard and started on a course that would take her well past the door. Even with her modicum of experience, Spice was easily able to grab her friend, spin around a few times with the momentum before launching Lotion out the open door. A moment later, she gently kicked off a crate herself and started to float elegantly through the door.

Maybe just sitting still and trying to look cool for hours on end wasn't all that useful after all! She might be fidgety, but Spice noticed that even the Elder's movements were more hesitant than her own, though they covered it up with their decades of training.

"Clever male," Perfume noted as she slowly angled from one wall across to the next to better control her movements, while Cologne, Lotion and Spice just lazily floated down the center of the corridor. In retrospect, it looked pretty fun, and Spice wanted to try it herself. "Clearing out any potential hostages that we might have taken to strengthen our bargaining position."

The aged matriarch nodded. "He must have a suspicion of who might have stowed away on his ship. If he thought it was just a few hot-headed children, I doubt he would have shown so much concern." Her lips twisted into an oaken grin. "Still, it is good that this Captain knows his place well enough to show proper respect."

Spice took a few moments to admire the ship as they flew down its length. The interior was more open and rounded than she had expected, as she had seen on the few sea ships she had seen in China. Maybe it maximized the amount of space for the Orange Aliens to fly around each other, since they weren't limited to just walking side by side? There was a lot of purple, which was nice, but mixed in with a rather grotesque amount of red. It appeared that the Tamaranean's sense of color coordination was as alien as their nine stomachs.

There were many doors they floated past, all sealed. Several curved black displays, not too different from the ones on the new Lexcorp devices in the village, studded the walls, all inactive. Interestingly, there were a number of openings in the ceiling above them, obviously more of those 'access shafts' the captain mentioned to allow easy travel between the decks. They were all closed and sealed as well, though she couldn't see any obvious locks or latches that would open them.

She couldn't really place where the light was coming from, either, but it looked like, and even felt like, daylight, honestly. It was odd, but somewhat refreshing after sitting in the dark for so long.

All too soon, the end of the corridor loomed ahead. Perfume, well ahead of the rest of them, bounced from wall, to ceiling, to the far well, then to floor, setting herself perfectly to shoot straight up through the large opening that led up into the heart of the ship. Cologne simply held out her cane before her and hit the wall without so much as a sound, somehow stopping dead without even a single bounce, then tapped the floor, sending her upwards in a stately manner.

Lotion, on the other hand, did not appear to have figured out her own landing solution. Instead of their mentors' graceful approaches, the pale haired Scholar opted for a more 'arm flailing' approach, cursing silently under her breath as she tried vainly to slow her collision course for the wall. Spice considered trying to help her companion, but, smiling widely, she chose a different approach, gracefully spinning herself around in midair.

As such, a moment after the would-be Scholar slammed into the wall and bounced off, she was reintroduced to it roughly as Spice's steely buns slammed into her back. The undignified squawk from Lotion as her face was pressed up against the strange purple metal was everything Spice had hoped for, as she pushed up from the floor to shoot up through the opening and out range of her friend's clumsy retaliation.

A quick glance back down revealed the stranded Amazon to be caught helpless in the middle of the corridor, unable to reach the walls after Spice had… assisted her. A string of quiet curses that sounded suspiciously like 'brat!' and 'child!' did make the younger warrior feel a bit guilty. Dipping into her pocket, she pulled out a length of weighted ribbon and flicked it down towards her stranded friend.

The fine material wrapped around Lotion's wrist easily enough, and a quick tug got her friend moving in the right direction. It also slowed her own assent, but in this case, she had inertia on her side.

Finally, the four of them were loosely assembled before the large, reinforced set of doors covered in strange alien script that must have meant 'Bridge', and the doors slid open silently before them. As one, they pushed off the wall and floated through the opening. The moment they passed the threshold Spice was surprised as her feet suddenly dropped to the ground.

The burgeoning warrior couldn't help but look around in excitement at the so-called 'Bridge'. The room was massive, as large as the Council Hall back in the village, with various floating platforms and futuristic workstations just jutting out of the walls at seemingly random heights. She didn't have a single clue what anything did, or, for that matter, how anyone that couldn't fly could even work here, but that hardly mattered.

Everything looked so sleek and elegant, and that went doubly so for the command crew.

There were a dozen souls on the bridge, and all were currently turned to face them, some sitting at the floating stations, some just hovering in the air next to consoles, and, sitting in a large hovering chair- _Of course it would be hovering, I mean, why wouldn't it be?_ -was the captain. Rising to his feet, the commanding male swept his long, dazzlingly bronze hair over his shoulder in a hair flip that would put most runway models to shame.

Tall, trim, lean and with a face lost somewhere between handsome and gorgeous, Spice absently waved a hand at her cheeks, trying to dissipate the building heat. The fact that the Tamaraneans' work uniforms made even the most brazen of Amazon's look modest definitely had nothing to do with it. After all, being able to count the Captain's sculpted abs had to be good for morale, right? Glancing to her side, Spice noticed Lotion struggling to maintain eye contact with the Captain, Cologne seeming to not notice the situation at all, and Elder Perfume-

" _Ugh_ , who wants a man prettier than herself?"

Spice nearly jumped at the words whispered directly into her ear. Spinning to her other side, she stared nearly face to face with a grinning Perfume. The elder ran a hand through her own luxurious hair before winking conspiratorially and standing straight once more. Thankfully, Spice was too shocked by the comment, or else she would have burst into laughter at the idea.

Before them, the Captain gave a polite, shallow bow, his feet floating a fraction of an inch above the deck plating. He then held his hands out in welcome, the large green gemstones adorning his gloves glinting in the light.

"Greetings, Honored Elders. It is a pleasure to speak with you again."

Elder Cologne nodded, while Elder Perfume gave a matching bow. "I must apologize, Captain Phyarelle. We have involved you in an incident which is none of your doing." She offered a weak smile. "We only desire to speak with your Grand Ruler, face to face, to see if we can get to the bottom of this unfortunate turn of events."

Captain Phyarelle nodded, hanging gracefully in the air. Around the bridge, the rest of the crew, an assortment of males and females, bore expressions as diverse as their uniforms were risqué. It didn't take a scholar in training to realize that their stowing away had generated no small amount of tension among the crew.

"Yes, and I'm certain that she would have been thrilled to have a small band of elite warriors suddenly spring forth from one of her returning ships without warning or explanation." The captain's words were sarcastic, until he donned a thoughtful look, stroking his chin. "Then again, maybe she would? I have never actually met our Grand Ruler in person, though her… reputation does precede her."

 _That_ statement seemed to get a startlingly strong reaction from the crew. Several of the men and women seemed to get strangely defensive, while the rest looked… looked to be on the verge of frothing at the mouth. She heard one of the closer crew members mutter an alien phrase under their breath. The words meant nothing, but the speaker's expression made her think of someone spitting out a mouthful of snake venom. Instantly, the captain flashed a furious look at the officer, causing them to duck their head in shame.

"Ahem, my apologies," Captain Phyarelle coughed into his hand politely. "As officers of the Royal Navy, whose loyalty lies with the Crown, the squabbles of the politicians back home _should be beneath us to discuss_."

While the Captain's explanation was tacitly for them, it was obvious that the ranking Tamaranean was looking to every member of his bridge crew as he spoke the last words. Some of the crew nodded, others responded with defiant looks, but ultimately none spoke a word of protest to their leader.

Through all of this, her Elders watched on with eager interest. No doubt learning even more from what was being said, and what _wasn't_ being said, than Spice could ever hope to. It appeared that the situation was far more interesting than she had first expected, and that the Orange Aliens were not nearly the united Monolith she had assumed.

"Ah, if you don't mind…" Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly after that speech back at the grove, it was Lotion that broke the tense silence. The taller Amazon took a half a step forward, dipping her head respectfully. "I did have a question."

Captain Phyarelle studied her for a moment, before smiling widely in recognition. "Ah, the young scholar… Lotion, wasn't it? Yes, I owe you an apology as well, now don't I?" He paused for a moment, before letting out a loud chuckle. "Or perhaps I don't? Though I doubt this is what you had intended for your tour of my fine vessel."

Instantly, Lotion's face was washed out with red, contrasting starkly with her pale hair. Around the bridge, people began to smile and laugh at the exchange. Perfume and Cologne looked on, wearing their own enigmatic smiles.

"Y-yes, I mean _no_!" Lotion gave her head a good shake, then took a long deep breath before finally continuing. "What I mean to say is, that I was curious as to how you discovered our presence on your vessel. I had thought, after so long, that we had evaded all detection on our entry."

"An excellent question, and a good a start for your tour as any, now that we have many days to acquaint you formally with the Void Skipper… at least, I think that's how it translates." The captain furrowed his brow, before shrugging and gesturing to a woman floating next to one of the wall mounted consoles. "Lieutenant X'harran is our Chief of Security and is responsible for revealing your trespass."

The imposingly tall woman crossed her arms over her chest and gave a cocky snort. It was impressive that she still managed to look professional, considering her uniform was what could only be aptly described as a 'battle bikini', and her long copper hair was held up with a series of… apparatus seemed more accurate than ornaments, honestly.

"Did you honestly think that I would not be able to spot such a large weight discrepancy in our cargo manifest?"

The air near cracked as four gazes whipped about to lock onto the titian hued woman with murderous intensity. Even one of such supreme confidence, training and experience as the tall officer crumbled instantly under the combined stares of the Elder Amazon warriors.

"W-w-wait! Did I say _large_?" the Tamaranean officer began to sweat visibly, despite likely being able to take a relaxing nap inside a bonfire without even noticing. "I meant _miniscule_ discrepancy! Vanishingly small! In fact - in fact, it was not even me that discovered you." X'harran suddenly pointed to a younger looking male up on one of the floating workstations. "Hynon'r checks the various sensors, he was the one that informed me."

Instantly, all eyes on the bridge locked on the lanky male with mousy chestnut hair. To his credit, he was actually wearing pants, unlike the rest of the crew, but made up for it by wearing little more than a pair of crossed sashes over his thin, but still decidedly well-toned chest. Panic filled his face at the sudden attention, and he frantically began pecking away at the console before him.

"Y-yes! Sensors, I have lots of sensors! So many sensors!" Spice found herself smiling despite herself, sympathizing for the obviously lower ranking male being put on the spot. Even the Captain was obviously struggling to hold in his laughter as Hynon'r stalled. "There are much better ways to find an intruder. Internal cameras, temperature readings, foreign contaminant scans… um… even checking the life support for localized imbalances in atmosphere is a good one, as living things tend to expel lots of gasses…"

Spice felt blood rush to her cheeks as his meaning suddenly became clear. "I- _I_ _didn't expel any gas_!"

Stifled laughter sounded around her, causing her face to burn all the hotter. Lotion, however, dropped a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Rolling her eyes, her sister in arms gave her shoulder a squeeze. "He's just referring to our breathing," she turned to Hynon'r for confirmation. "Isn't that correct?"

The young Tamaranean paused for a decidedly depressing length of time, nervously fidgeting with several controls, before nodding. "Yes… of course. Anyway, I should get back to work now. _So_ many sensors to monitor. Short range, long range...huh?"

It was interesting to see the response that something as innocuous as 'huh' could generate when said by the right person. Kind of like when a healer says 'oops'. Captain Phyarelle immediately lost his playful edge, his expression growing intense and all but demanding an explanation without saying a word. All around the rest of the bridge, people turned back to their own stations.

Hynon'r studied his own station intently for several long moments, making a few more tweaks, before finally looking up to address the Captain.

"I have just picked up a ship ahead of us, at outer range of our Long-Range scanners. It appears to be on the same course but moving much slower."

"Any reason for concern?" Captain Phyarelle asked in a calm tone.

"The ship is tiny, minimal armaments, and looks like a fairly primitive FTL system. Definitely not a threat to our ship… however, this cannot be right, let me confirm."

Everyone waited patiently as the young officer dove into his work. Spice took notice that, while quite nervous while being teased, when it came to his duty, Hynon'r worked as confidently as anyone she had ever met.

"Captain, I have confirmed. There is a Tamaranean transponder on that vessel."

* * *

To say that Raven had a bit of a headache would be like saying Ryouga had a tiny little issue finding his way. It did seem fitting, though, as her feet were swollen, her legs felt like Jell-O, her back was aching, and her stomach was churning. Why not complete the suffering Bingo?

The only thing worse than how she was feeling after spending _well_ over two full days sitting in this god's forsaken cockpit, was the fact that they _weren't even halfway to Tamaran yet_!

The lavender haired Titan rubbed her temples with her fingertips, driving them in wide, hard circles, hoping to squeeze out the pain, but meeting minimal success. At best, squeezing her eyes shut meant she didn't have to look at the _bottle_ sitting in the far corner of the cockpit, covered up with her cloak.

" _Ohh, maaaaan_! I am _soooo bored_! I need to get out and _run_!"

Well, at least she wasn't suffering alone.

"What are _you_ complaining about, Beast Boy," came Robin's incredulous reply. "You're the _only_ one here that _can_ exercise. You turn into a mouse and you have an Olympic size track to run."

"Nuh uh! Star can go out and fly whenever she wants!"

"Friend Beast Boy, as I have explained many times, exiting a craft that is traveling faster than light would lead to catastrophic structural failures that would result in the death of all aboard."

Was that so? Raven made a note. The option was starting to sound tempting after so long cooped up with her friends.

"Hey! Everyone lay off, alright?" Cyborg, the voice of reason, finally intervening. "The last time you guys started pestering everyone, Raven's tantrum nearly took out the Life support system!"

Raven felt her eye twitch.

"Ex- _cuse_ me?" Raven lifted herself up, just so she could spin around to glare at Cyborg's transparent bubble dome at the back of the ship. "But who was the _genius_ that decided to take the _family station wagon_ on a billion-mile road trip and didn't even think to make the _seats recline_?"

The titanium Titan half jumped up, hitting his head on the dome with a satisfying ' _thunk'_ that echoed through the comm. " _Station Wagon_? I practically magicked a submersible vehicle meant to be piloted for only a few hours at a time into an interstellar craft capable of keeping us alive for the _week_ it takes to get to Tamaran! _So sorry_ that I couldn't fit in the jacuzzi for ya!"

"Please, friends! Do not quarrel! The fault for our current situation is solely mine."

Looking across the craft, tacitly ignoring Beast Boy in the center section, Raven noted Starfire looking back at her, her strong hands pressed up against the inside of her own transparent dome. The look of anguish on the Tamaranean's face was no doubt a result of everyone else's frustration, rather than her own.

Azar, she really was too good for the Earth.

"Star, none of this is your fault." As a group, everyone turned to the lone occupant of the front section of the ship, looking so isolated against the black void. Even though his back was facing them, it was obvious that his shoulders were slumped, making the Titan's young leader look quite tired. "We're all just tired, and frustrated, and angry."

Raven leaned back into her seat, feeling her migraine lessen for the moment. Conversely, Starfire leaned forward in her dome, hanging expectantly on the spiky haired hero's words.

"I think that we are still trying to come to terms with… _everything_ that is going on." A green gloved hand pressed against the interior of Robin's dome, even though he continued to face forward. "I mean, the thought of los-"

The rest of his words were lost as a loud alarm sounded throughout the entire vessel, complete with red lights and their long-ignored console displays surging back to life. The look on Starfire's face at the unexpected distraction could only be described as _crestfallen_.

"Everyone keep sharp," Cyborg took command immediately, the bulk of the scanners monitored from his section of the ship. "Something just blazed into our scanner range, and it's heading our way… _fast_ , too!"

"Maybe we should ask 'em for a tow?" Beast Boy offered, probably only half joking.

The information on the incoming object was quickly routed from Cyborg to the rest of them, and Raven struggled to try to make out what the readings meant.

"It's not just fast, it's big," Robin added. "I know it's crazy, considering how big space is, but what are the chances this is a coincidence?"

"Astronomical?" Raven offered, though her wry grin felt very forced.

"Well, only one way to find out. Cyborg, change our trajectory a few degrees and drop us out of FTL. Let's see if they shoot past us, preferably without us ending up a bug on their windshield."

"And if they don't?" inquired an anxious Beast Boy.

"Then I guess we got a fight on our hands," Cyborg replied tersely. "Cuz, as much as I hate to admit it, there's no way we're outrunning whatever it is."

A moment later, the ship veered to the side, before dropping in speed. Raven could hear the plastic of her controls creak under her grip as the tension rose, moment by moment.

A sudden explosion of light and silence heralded the arrival of their new friend. It was just as bad as she feared. Massive, looming and… purple? The vessel dwarfed the T-Ship, it had to be at least a few hundred meters long, though it was hard to tell, staring at the ship nose on. She could only guess how big the weapons on such a ship must be.

Any further ruminations of doom were cut off, however, by the excited clapping of hands.

Raven turned to her side, disbelief rendering her mute, as she could only watch Starfire bounce up and down in her seat, excitement clear on her face.

"It is the Void Skipper! They must be returning from the Earth as well." The flame haired Titan glanced around at all her companions, her joy slowly descending into confusion. "However, I had believed their cultural assignment to the village was to have lasted for several more months… why are they also returning to Tamaran?"

"Wait, Tamaran sent a _warship_ to Earth to deal with the Amazons?" Cyborg's incredulous tone no doubt reflected more than just Raven's own.

"Of course not, the Void Skipper is but a Light Cruiser." Starfire then vanished from sight, rooting around her seat, before popping up a moment later with the strange device Raven recognized as her Tamaranean communication device.

"You would not believe the amount of paperwork that needed to be filed with the Green Lantern Corp just to allow a single vessel to enter Sector 2814 from the Vegan system," she muttered as she fiddled about with the thing, pressing buttons here and there before a voice sounded across the ship's comms for them all to hear.

Unfortunately, the language being spoken was Tamaranean (Raven had grown familiar with the hard consonant and almost guttural sounds during a few of Starfire's Mustard binges).

Starfire responded in kind, the only word Raven could make out was 'Koriand'r', obviously identifying herself. The rest was as good as gibberish to her. The two spoke back and forth until finally-

"Ah, yes, English. I must say I've been getting a lot more practice with my Mandarin, but luckily my… language coach from the Joketsuzoku was _well versed_." The voice gave a worldly chuckle before continuing. "Greetings, young Titans. I am Captain Phyarelle, of the Void Skipper, of her Highness' Royal Navy. Please allow me to extend to you my gratitude for personally escorting our Lady Koriand'r back home."

" _Ask them for a ride, dude!"_ Beast Boy's lack of understanding on how the comm system worked made certain that everyone alive and present heard his whispered plea.

"Ahem!" Starfire coughed dramatically into her hand. "It fills me with joy to cross your path on the journey back to Tamaran, Captain. Perhaps, if you were so inclined… you could render some assistance?"

There was another light chuckle. "Yes, it can't be too comfortable making this trip in a cramped shuttle pod such as that. I commend your bravery, my Lady."

Raven fought the urge to smile; she didn't need to hear it to _know_ that Cyborg was grinding his teeth after _that_ comment.

"Unfortunately…" Oh, no. Raven didn't like the sound of that. "There are… complications. My Lady, it pains me to inform you, but, by decree of the Grand Ruler, you have been declared… oh, what's that Earth term again? You know the one." There was a pause, some hushed whispering, before, "Ah, yes! _Persona Non Grata_. As such, even if our holds weren't full, we would be unable to allow your vessel to dock with us."

While Starfire was, understandably, too shocked to respond to that statement, something lodged itself in Raven's craw and would not allow her to think of anything else.

"Wait, you know _Latin_?"

"Oh my, yes. I have learned much about your Latin culture!" The Captain gave a wistful sigh. "The music, the food… well, honestly, I wasn't enthused with the food, not enough fight in it, but _oh_ the _music_! And I think many of your dances will become _quite_ popular on Tamaran."

" _Captain_!" Starfire's impassioned plea disrupted the Captain's own rather passionate derail. Raven wanted, very much, to follow up her line of questioning, as she was fairly certain there was some confusion going on, but her friend's own issues seemed more important at the moment.

"Please, can you explain why such an odious proclamation has been made?"

There was a moment of hesitation, before Captain Phyarelle responded. "I can only explain my orders. I just… how can I put this diplomatically…"

Starfire's face was nearly as red as her hair as she clutched the communication device. "Captain, _please_ just tell me what was said!"

"Well, the initial communique was something along the lines of, and I quote 'That _idiot_ signed a treaty with a gaggle of mud dwelling stone chuckers? That's the _stupidest_ thing I've _ever_ heard. Get your asses back to Tamaran, _now!'_ "

As terrible as it was and judging by the fact that Starfire's ears were nearly glowing now, it _was_ bad, Raven still had to suppress a giggle. She _had_ always thought that treaty idea had been a bit half baked, herself.

"Which was soon followed by 'If that twit loves those humans so much, then _they_ can give her a ride, or she can fly home herself, for all I care.'" The Captain gave a tired sigh. "Please forgive me, My Lady. Unfortunately, even with the loosest interpretation of those 'orders', I cannot allow you to board my vessel."

Several long, tense moments passed, her Tamaranean friend writhing in humiliation, only for her face to shift from molten red to ashen pale at record pace. "No, no no no, it cannot be." Looking up, her expression now one of stark disbelief, Star stared intently at the device in her lap. "The new Grand Ruler, they said those exact words? I only know one person that would speak to me in such a manner. You cannot mean to tell me that the new Grand Ruler is…"

"That is correct. By Right of Blood, and by Rite of Strength, Lady Blackfire toppled the Lord Regent and assumed the throne."

At that revelation, her friend seemed to shut down completely, just staring down at her hands blankly.

Not sure what else to say, Raven pursed her lips as she regarded her dear friend.

Robin, at least, was still in the state of mind to react. "Does that mean there isn't anything you can do to help us? After all-" Raven could hear him trying to force the words out through clenched teeth. "Your _Grand Ruler_ did summon Starfire, explicitly. There must be _something_ she needs, and you're travelling a _lot_ faster than us."

Raven blew out a long sigh, pushing her long bangs up and out of her eyes. "Even Beast Boy's stupid towing idea would be better than what we're doing."

"Hey! Why is it stupid just because it's _my_ idea?"

"Hmm," Captain Phyarelle's indulgent 'hmm' pre-empted yet another tedious yet stress relieving argument. "Actually, I would go so far as to say the idea is genius. After all, the order was to let My Lady travel with her human friends. There was nothing saying we could not… expedite the matter."

There was another pause, before Captain Phyarelle continued, the mirth gone from his voice now.

"After all, I feel that My Lady returning home may be best for Tamaran."

* * *

The moon shone down on the small island with its full splendor, bathing the scenic resort town that rested at the foot of the towering mountain peak with gentle luminescence. Lush forests surrounded the town on all sides, and the sea glittered like an ocean of diamonds in the moonlight. Even this late into the night, lights littered the city, and even from such a distance, the sound of lively music could be heard. A destination to delight the senses and sooth the soul.

Or so the brochure said.

"You wouldn't even suspect that this entire town was nearly destroyed when our good friend erupted just a meager few decades ago, would you, Teekl?"

Klarion smiled down to the furry orange form of his Familiar perched comfortably on his shoulder. Giving her a quick scratch on the chin for good measure, he gave a small chuckle. To be fair, Mount Monokoa had been cheated that time, denied his proper due in lives and destruction. The old scar in the volcanic formation, a massive opening blasted out of the back of the mountain, was now filled with volcanic rock, long since cooled. It would be poetry itself.

"And to think I wanted to go to San Baquero instead. Luckily, some idiots exploded her out of existence a few years back."

Taking a step forward, the empty space beneath his feet offering the same footing as if he were walking across granite, Klarion took in the sights and sounds. The wind in his ears, the crash of the waves, the laughing of tourists. It was all so natural, so pure…

So _tediously boring_! What was the point of traveling halfway across the world to escape your boring life, just to plop yourself down into a slightly different chair, in a slightly different place and drink a slightly different beer?

If there was one thing the Witch Boy knew, it was excitement. And that was what these people needed, far more than lame, boring relaxation!

The Lord of Chaos was disappointed that he hadn't considered doing this before, and the moment was somewhat soured by the fact that his action had a reason at the moment, and that he was carrying out a part of a… a _plan_ , _eugh_.

Here. Klarion looked down to his feet, now standing directly atop the intersection of ley lines that permeated this place of primal power.

"Dormant is not dead, my old friend, and that is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die."

Badly mangling famous quotations was its own form of chaos.

He raised his arms deliberately and with great purpose, only to fling his hands up with violent intensity. The lines below him, invisible to the uninitiated, surged with red fire and the air began to tremble, as if in trepidation of the happenings.

Words began to spill from his lips, words that no human was meant to hear, and words that a human tongue should not have been able to form. Beneath him, bleeding out from the crossing lines of energy, a circle began to form, arcane sigils of angular and abstract beauty carving themselves into the very bedrock of reality.

Klarion could not contain his smile as the words continued to spill forth. The air around him grew heavier with each syllable, even as the air began to shimmer with primordial heat. Teekl purred in contentment from her perch.

On the island, Mt. Monokoa, dormant for so many years, began to quake.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

A police scanner can be a pretty useful device when it comes to finding crime. It does not, however, hold a candle to having a multimillion-dollar computer system tied directly into Law Enforcement databases and communications.

"Sighting confirmed. Description matches that provided by the Titan in relation to the Exchange break in. Lone figure, female, dressed in black, skull motif on the mask. Requesting back up to Bixby's Electronic Boutique on Elfwood Ave. Moving to secure the perimeter."

If Speedy had been back in the tower, there would have been lights flashing everywhere as the ' _Crime Computer_ ' was alerted to the officer's report. As it was, already leaping from roof to roof on his patrol, the computer fed the information directly into his communicator. He had to admit, the cop sounded professional, though part of that might have just been knowing better than to go in against a mostly unknown Metahuman (potentially, anyway, definitely armed, and dangerous) on their own.

He skidded to a stop before sprinting to the east. Luckily, he wasn't too far from Elfwood, just a few minutes. He slid a trio of grapnel arrows into his hand, scanning the horizon for anything to swing from. Thankfully, Jump City was a city on the rise, so there was never a shortage of massive cranes looming over skeletal frames of up-and-coming condos.

Speedy swung through the air in a wide arc, sending him soaring for forty - fifty feet before he landed on the next rooftop. He slid nearly that far again before breaking into another sprint. Gravel was sent flying with each step as he pushed himself to his fullest. No way was she getting away again!

Landing from another long jump, he pulled out his communicator. Flipping it open as he ran, his finger hovered over the button to contact his back up. A moment later, he flipped it back closed.

Lord knew how far out the pair were, and, frankly, he wasn't exactly jazzed about the idea of calling in a potential natural disaster and her gym teacher to deal with the curvy villainess. Well, maybe if she got _really_ out of hand... No, he had this in the bag, leave the nuclear option for the Godzilla threshold situations.

He hit the sidewalk a minute later and strolled up to the ring of police vehicles forming a perimeter around the entrance of the store. Officers were arrayed behind the cars, most of them holding tasers and gas launchers; even though a Meta was involved, it _was_ still just a break in. He made his way to the officer with the most stripes.

"Sergeant, you need a hand?"

The tall woman with long dark hair pulled back into a loose ponytail falling out from the back of her hat turned to regard him. She gave a bit of a smirk, her eyes quickly darting from belt to chest to mask. He could just _see_ the Robin comparisons in her eyes, but she managed to keep them internal.

"That would be appreciated… Speedy, right? You're the only one that has had contact with the perp, and I don't want to send any of my people in blind here."

"If you allow, I'd like to go in alone, first. Confirm that it's her and see if I can suss out what her goal is," he suggested amiably.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "It's risky. You don't have four other quirky super kids to back you up today."

Such concern. The crimson archer felt touched. On the other hand, he didn't need anyone holding his hand anymore, either. If he wanted to get patronized, he'd still be hanging with Olly. Hmm, a thought.

Smirking, he held up his communicator and gave it a jaunty shake. "Hey, who said I was alone? I got my backup waiting in the wings."

Rather than look relieved, the sergeant's eyes hardened. "Backup? You mean… _Terra_?"

"I'm sensing some bad blood here," he replied in a cool tone.

"Who do you think was on the front line after the Titan's vanished?" Her hand drifted unconsciously to her gun but stopped halfway there. "We made sure that Slade and his _attack dog_ had to fight for every inch of Jump City… for all the good it did."

Hm, hard to blame her for holding a grudge. He gave a helpless shrug. "Well, that's why I have them waiting in the wings. Let's not complicate things, right?"

The Sergeant gave a loud, dissatisfied huff, but finally gave a frustrated wave of her hand. "Fine, go on in. _Call us_ if you need back up. Just… make sure that you have your… _teammate_ pointed in the right direction. I won't blame any of my people for getting panicky after what happened."

"Duly noted." Sheesh! Maybe this camping trip was a better idea than he'd thought. On the other hand, no apparent opinion on Hibiki at all. If the bandanna kid was as good as the rumors said, and he did need backup in the end, maybe just calling in Ryouga might be best.

Filing away his mental notes, Speedy unslung his bow and approached the door. No visible signs of entry. Through the glass door, he could see the lights of a tv and hear... muffled singing? With a gentle push, the door popped open, not nearly as locked as it should have been for this time of night.

" _Tonight, isn't it sweet?"_

Hmm, not a bad singer, though it was a little thrown off by the voice distorter. He quickly slipped through the door, making his way toward the lights and sound. He could see the top of the TV being used for the Karaoke and could hear the speakers blaring.

He hoped that suit of hers had hearing protection.

" _They're by the beach, a car; two lovers talking_."

Moving quickly, bow drawn, and arrow nocked, he flitted along the shelves of electronics and made his way to his quarry. She was into this song, too, really belting it out. Man, was she throwing a party for one? He'd make sure to give her a good dance this time around.

" _It's true! I saw it too,"_

There! The Crimson Archer spun around the end of the shelf and leveled his arrow directly at the… television? It was definitely a karaoke set up, Big TV, big speakers, though for some reason there were five machines out, one currently hooked up, but wires trailing from all of them.

The only thing missing was the singer. Even weirder, the words were trailing across the screen, lighting up as their time came, and the voice singing was matching them perfectly.

" _They held each other yet seemed far away."_

He spun around, his arrow drawing a bead on the Game Station display, then a fancy coffee maker. Was it just a recording? Did she set this whole thing up to draw him in while she was pulling off another crime elsewhere?

" _Invisible barrier…"_

The voice shifted from belting vocals to a more intimate tone. He spun around again, backing up slowly towards the door. The music was still blaring, but the voice was warm and kind, which only made it creepier to his ears.

" _Somethings come between, you know what I mean."_

He took another step. Maybe the Sergeant was right, a little bit of help wouldn't kill him. Especially if Red X had already moved on. He was about to call out when sudden silence made his blood run cold. The words still rolled across the screen, bouncing ball following the beat, but large white letters spelled out 'MUTE' along the bottom of the screen.

" _See the tears begin to flow.'_

The words tickled his ear.

 _Too close_! He began to spin, only for a heavy cord drop down around him, suddenly drawing tight. His bow was pinned to his chest and he saw a black clad arm slide around him from behind, two notable objects, both soft and warm pressing against his back as it did.

His eyes widened in shock at the flash of metal on the gloved hand. The cross shaped red blade did not move up for his neck, but moved instead to his bow, and with a deft tug, the razor-sharp blade snapped his bowstring like nothing. His bow, suddenly bereft of tension, recoiled painfully into his leg and shoulder as he was pushed forward.

Speedy staggered a few steps before he could recover enough to figure out what happened.

The microphone thumping lightly against his side explained what was binding him. The cable didn't make a good lasso, though, and a few twists and turns were enough to loosen it up and let it drop to the floor.

Unfortunately, the damage was done. Holding his straight bow, now more staff, he turned around to see the architect of his frustration. Lounging provocatively against one of the karaoke machines, Red X was casually swinging around another microphone. It struck him, now that they were in closer proximity, and both vertical for a change, that the villainess was taller than him by a bit.

"So, did you like my singing?" She shrugged a shoulder coquettishly. "I admit, I do love that song."

Speedy eyed his weapon. Well, there went like ninety percent of his options in a fight. He could still fight, no doubt, but he didn't like the idea of going against a known gimmick villain without any gimmicks of his own.

"Know that song by heart, I see?" he mused rhetorically. Well, there was still one option left, as loathe as he was to use it. "Say, what is that song? I haven't heard it before."

"Oh, well-"

Whatever she was going to say was lost as he snagged the dropped microphone with his foot and launched it at her unsuspecting face. Even as she recoiled and scrambled to catch the harmless projectile, he dashed back behind a refrigerator for cover. The archer dug out the yellow disc at his waist and flipped it open.

"Calling all Titans! I need backup!"

...And nothing. Not even a busy signal!

"What's that? Inviting a third wheel to our date?"

The squeal of steel on steel was his only warning, his body already rolling forward before he realized what he was doing. Behind him, the top half of the burnished steel appliance toppled to the floor with a series of ringing clangs. The murdered appliance revealed Red X, a long set of red blades extending from her wrist, glaring at him with frightful intensity.

"How _rude_."

His answer came in the form of his bow flashing towards her temple. He lunged forward as she leaned back to avoid the strike, his staff blurring as it spun between his hands. The leggy villainess no doubt relied heavily on her glue projectiles, he had to close in and overwhelm her in melee before she could get to distance.

A lightning-fast offensive of swings and thrusts was answered with the ringing of steel and showers of sparks. His arms burned as he pushed himself to keep his bow moving, until he was forced to disengage and leap back, his chest heaving.

Standing before him, her fists held up defensively and red, x-shaped blades projecting from the backs of both wrists, Red-X was breathing heavily as well. A moment later, she dropped her guard and let out a light laugh.

"Don't tell me. You just thought 'I bet she can only fight at range, I can beat her in hand to hand!', right?" She held up a hand before her mask, tittering daintily. "That's quite amusing, from the boy that brought a bow to a fist fight."

Speedy felt his cheeks start to burn at the insight. It was the Tournament of Heroes with Robin, all over again. He replayed their last exchange in his head, analyzing every movement. Actually, it was _a lot_ like that. She'd been expertly blocking his attempts to use his bow as a staff, and he realized why.

His training with the bo staff was nearly identical to Robin's, except the Boy Wonder got a lot more practice than him. And Red X had been battling Robin, so of course she'd be accustomed to fighting a staff wielder. If he didn't think of something else, she'd outmaneuver him without even needing to bust out her tricks.

That in mind, he held his bow out before him, making a big show of it. Red X watching him with large owlish white eyes, impassive, but raising her guard. He then dropped the bow and with lightning speed, brought his leg up and kicked the weapon as hard as he could, launching it at the villainess.

Using the distraction, he reached over his shoulder and pulled a pair of electro-arrows, grasping them with a reverse grip like daggers.

The loud ' _thwap_ ' sound of his bow slapping heavily into Red X's palm - stopping dead so abruptly that the ends of the weapon vibrated violently - cut his surprise attack short. The dark criminal contemptuously tossed his weapon over her shoulder, sending it clattering to the floor behind a distant shelf.

"I think I realize what the problem is here," Red X began conversationally. She tilted her head as she regarded him, giving her hand a small shake before clutching it back into a fist. "Why you're just not living up to my expectations."

"Oh, that hurts, lady," he countered mockingly. He began shuffling to the side, watching for an opening with his improvised weapons. Again, something Robin did from time to time with his lame boomerangs, but would he have used them like this against her?

"Why don't you _illuminate me_?" He lunged forward, spinning, and lashing out with the sparking arrowhead, aiming for her shoulder.

Rather than panic at the sudden charge, she swept up her arm, his forearm slapping meatily into hers, stopping his strike. Pulling back quickly, he tried to drag the electrified tip down into her wrist, only for the red, cross like blade to shoot out from her hand once more, snipping it off.

She followed it up with a startlingly fast palm strike to his chest, pushing him back several feet. He winced, rubbing his solar plexus.

"The problem is that you think that because Robin and I are about the same level, that means that you must be on that level too."

Drawing another arrow, he started circling the villainess once more. "Not sure what the problem is. Robin only beat me by luck in our last fight. I _am_ on his level."

She nodded; he could almost see her smile through the mask. "I'm sure you _were_... at your last fight. There's just one problem there."

Suddenly, her form flickered and blurred. Instinct kicked in and he spun around, slashing with an arrow directly behind him.

Only to watch in shock as the dark figure behind him evaporated away from his strike, already flashing away in a burst of speed. The Crimson Archer desperately spun, his eyes struggling to track Red X's movement as she flitted around the entire store, only reappearing for brief flashes, before vanishing again.

He swung again, and again, so sure that what he was aiming at where she was, but every single time, his attacks met nothing but air.

His frantic spinning was halted as a pair of hands suddenly slapped down on both of his shoulders. Not a strong grip, almost like a friendly pat on both of his shoulders. The red headed archer looked down just in time to see the hand on his right pull back, revealing a stylized red 'X' decal planted firmly on his shoulder.

 _Wha-_ was all he had time to think as the X on his shoulder suddenly flared red, crackling with crimson lightning. His eyes had just a fraction of a second to widen in shock before the surge of power arced between the X's on both of his shoulders, carrying the charge right through his torso.

His entire world was ruby agony, stretching on for eternity…

When it finally, thankfully, ended, all he could do was drop bonelessly to his knees, staring blankly at the wisps of smoke rising from his body.

A companionable hand came to rest on his shoulder, the only thing stopping him from slumping to the ground completely.

"You might have been Robin's equal before, but he's gotten _much_ faster since the last time you fought him." Kneeling, Red X gently laid him onto his side, setting up an errant box as a pillow for his head. "Fighting you is like fighting Robin at half speed."

Standing, she dusted off her knees before making her way to the back of the store.

"Frankly, this isn't as fun as I was hoping it would be."

She looked back over her shoulder at him as she walked.

"I suppose… that we'll just need a lot more practice to get you up to speed!"

And then she vanished again, flickering away into the darkness.

All he could do was struggle to draw in breath as he laid motionless on the floor.

He heard panicked shouting and bodies surging through the entrance behind him but couldn't see anything. He felt hands on his back next, then on his neck and his wrist. There was some chatter back and forth, and he was at least rewarded with the news that he wasn't dying or anything.

It was a welcome relief, until a pair of legs finally stepped into his field of vision. The shiny black boots kicked his communicator towards his hands, just now starting to twitch and move once more.

"So, your friends were just waiting in the wings, eh?"

His body started to relax, allowing him to curl up into a ball. He couldn't think of much to say as the Sergeant knelt next to him. The look in her eyes was one he had done much to avoid over the past year. He needed disappointment even less than he needed coddling.

"You lied to me. You let the bad guy get away. And, worst of all, you managed to get yourself hurt, all because you couldn't trust me."

The older woman let out a tired sigh, gingerly getting her hands under his arms she helped him back up to his feet. His legs still felt like jelly, though that was far from the worst thing he was feeling now.

"Look, kid," the Sergeant said in a deliberate voice. "If you won't let us help you, then we can't afford to let you help us."

"I-" he began haltingly, but, honestly, he didn't really have anything to say.

She held him there for an embarrassingly long time before he felt stable enough to stand on his own. Finally, she released her hold on him and stepped back. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, that damned look of concern and disappointment in her eyes.

"Until the other Titans get back, we're taking you off the system, got it? I don't want to see you on another crime scene."

With jerky movements, he knelt to pick up his communicator, snapping it closed before staring at the piece of plastic. In the end, all he could do was nod.

Seeming satisfied, the Sergeant reached for his shoulder, as if to give him a reassuring pat… only to stall out about halfway there. Giving her head one last shake, she turned and left the store, leaving him standing amongst the officers attending to the crime scene. Not one of them said a word to him, most didn't even glance his way.

It was a minor mercy, anyway.

Still, considering everything that had just happened, there was only one thing he could think to say.

"Shit… Robin's _really_ better than me now?"

* * *

Ryouga took a deep breath, enjoying the invigorating smell of petrichor in the morning. It was still dark in the cave they'd found, but the natural edifice was doing a splendid job of keeping the rain off them. He stood at the mouth of the cave, his hand resting on the wall next to him, staring out into the light drizzle that showered the desert.

He gave a loud chuckle. Who else could have luck so bad as to get caught in a rainstorm in the desert? Either that, or he was getting a serious kickback from his curse, what with it not having been able to put him into any seriously humiliating situations for some time. Jusenkyo must be getting desperate if this was the best it could come up with, though.

The sound of clumsy shuffling from behind alerted him to Terra's awakening. He kept his gaze on the falling droplets of rain, giving the young girl her privacy as she changed. They hadn't bothered with tents, being in a cave and all. A few moments later, the shuffling made its way to his side.

"Well _crap._ What a waste of a day."

Ryouga looked over to his pupil, and almost recoiled at the sight. The thin girl's hair was dropping heavily over her face, obscuring her right eye completely, and shading the rest of her face in a way that really accentuated the dark ring under her eye. The grim expression on her face was something else, too. For the first time, he could almost see the tiniest glimmer of that girl that everyone considered a terrible villain.

Meh, probably just teenage hormones.

"You aren't still grumpy, are you? You made a lot of progress yesterday; you should be proud."

Terra mumbled something under her breath he couldn't make out.

"What was that, pupil?"

"I _said_ , 'If I left your body in the desert, no one would ever find it'!"

She turned, glaring at him with that one eye. Gingerly, she rubbed her exposed arms, her fingers brushing over the numerous welts that covered her skin.

He gave a loud chuckle. "Good. That's good. There's nothing like a healthy dose of deep-seated resentment to motivate you."

Her glare grew incredulous. "Really? _That's_ your take on me contemplating murdering you?"

"Hey, hating Ranma drove me to all _kinds_ of insane lengths to best him." He flexed an arm jokingly. "You could say Ranma made me the man I am today."

Terra looked thoughtful for a moment as she considered that.

"Hmm, well, I guess I have _my own_ reason to hate Ranma now."

The fanged martial artist clapped his hands together excitedly. " _That's_ the spirit! Now let's channel that rage and get some _real_ training done today."

The slight blonde just stared at him blankly, before gesturing beyond the cave entrance.

"Um, what? In case you didn't notice, it's raining out. We can't train in that!"

"You worry too much. _"_ To punctuate his point, Ryouga took several long steps forward, letting the light rain cascade over him. Honestly, compared to his old transformation, he barely even noticed the change now. Going from five foot _something_ to a bit over four feet tall was less jarring than instantly seeing the world from ankle level. The arms, legs and opposable thumbs were just gravy after that.

He took a moment to kneel into the sodden sand, not wet enough to really be called mud yet, and rolled up his pant legs, then his sleeves, and finished up with a few bandannas to tie everything off and make sure clothes weren't going anywhere. Standing up once more, he gave one last cinch to his trusty belt, and he was good to go. Turning around, he swiped a bit of water from the tip of his nose and offered his pupil a broad grin.

"I've been meaning to do some training in my cursed form for quite awhile now, but I never got the chance." He bounced back and forth a few times, trying to get used to his new balance and proportions. "This will give us _both_ a chance to practice."

Terra continued to stare at him for a long moment, until the tiniest grin finally cracked her stony facade. She took a step out into the rain as well, her golden locks quickly plastering to her skin and clothes. "Well, never let it be said that I was out-toughed by a _little kid_."

He tried to chuckle, but in his current state, it came out as more of a high-pitched giggle. "Good, but don't let go of that intensity yet. You're going to need it for the training I've planned."

She moved to his side and joined him in looking out over the expanse of the damp desert. It really was a rare sight, even for him. "And what training is that? I swear to God, there better not be any more acorns!"

"You needn't worry about that," he replied ambiguously. "The goal today is to build on what you learned yesterday."

Her burning glare dissolved into curiosity at his words. Instead of explaining straight away, he gestured to the ground. "Pull up a rock from the ground, would you?"

A quizzical expression dominated her face, but she did as he asked. With a simple gesture, a small rock, about a foot in diameter erupted from the earth and floated patiently by her side. He looked at the stone appraisingly for a moment, before shaking his head. "Hmm, no, let's go bigger."

She shrugged, looking even more confused, before gesturing again. This time, the ground quaked beneath their feet, nearly sending them both stumbling, until a hugely impressive boulder tore itself violently free from its earthen tomb. Almost a dozen feet in diameter and in the serious tonnage range, Ryouga analyzed the boulder excitedly.

He then paused for a moment, considering his current form and conditioning.

"Umm. actually, maybe something about half that size?"

"Sure, no problem."

Rather than summon yet another boulder, Terra just motioned with her hand, almost like crumpling up a ball of paper, as she did, the outer layers of the boulder crumbled and sloughed off, revealing a much more manageable land mass.

"So, what are we doing with this?"

Smiling, he pulled off two of his bandannas, handing one to her and keeping the other for himself. "You're going to be doing your very best to smash me with it."

The surly geokinetic perked up noticeably at that. " _Reeaally_?"

The boulder wavered ominously in the air, Ryouga could almost smell the inanimate object's blood lust.

"Don't think it's going to be so easy, though. This is a test for your senses, and reflexes. So, to make this interesting, you are going to be doing this exercise blindfolded."

"So, I have to try to figure out where you are, and then throw boulders at you?" She laughed happily. "Like Marco Polo, but with slightly more physical trauma!"

Ryouga had no idea what she was talking about but played along. "Sure. And don't worry, I'll be giving you hints of my position as we go." He chuckled evilly to himself, subtly patting his pocket full of acorns. "So, put on the bandanna, and let's get to work."

As she did so, he took a few leaps away until he was about forty feet from the girl. He spent a few moments focusing on her fighting spirit, surging with excitement he noted proudly, before tying a bandanna over his own eyes as well.

He spent a few more long moments, listening and focusing. He could hear the rain fall all around him, pattering lightly on every surface - it was a distraction he wasn't used to after so long avidly avoiding rain for fear of the pig - he could also hear Terra's halting steps in the wet sand.

However, his hunch had proven correct. No matter how much he focused, he couldn't see anything beyond the basic Breaking Points around him, numerous but diffuse in the sand. The faint golden lines that linked the points together no longer revealed themselves to him, He could no longer 'see' the world, or Terra, or much of anything else for that matter, just a few random points of light, like he was standing on a black ocean of starlight.

Moving silently to the side, he could still 'feel' Terra's presence, could sense her frustration and anger. The next step he took, he stamped down hard into a puddle, sending water splashing out.

"Haaa!" Terra's outburst was part excited shout, part grunt of exertion. He could hear her arm swing forward through the rain. A moment later, the air cracked as a large mass fired towards his position. From this distance, a single leap carried him clear long before the boulder crashed to the ground sending dirt and sodden sand flying.

He'd felt the temptation to try shattering the boulder, but that wasn't what this training was about, for him, or for her. If his guess were right, and it was starting to look more like it was, he was quite sure the technique itself would work fine.

It seemed like this new body had all his knowledge, all his training, but it lacked his conditioning. He'd noticed it several times over the last few months, on the few chances he'd had to fight while cursed. He could do the Bakusai Tenketsu fine, but he couldn't take a hit. He could perform the Shi Shi Houkodan _better_ in his child form, since it seemed to revert to the emotional state he had at that time in his life, namely a crappy one.

And now he just confirmed that, while he _knew_ how to visualize life energy, and emulate elemental ki, this body hadn't gone through any of the long days and weeks of acclimation that his older body had.

He continued his slow stalking around Terra, noting her beginning her own hunt, stepping lightly in the direction she'd just targeted. This time, he let out a small bark, more of a yelp, unfortunately. Again, the boulder sailed towards him and again he evaded it with relative ease.

It was a puzzle he'd never thought about before. After all, the only person he knew that had a 'person' curse was Ranma. Mousse, Shampoo, even Pantyhose, none of them, or himself, really had any reason to try training in their cursed forms. Why train when your main concern was getting out of that damn form?

Well, not counting Pantyhose, he was just an ass.

Ranma, though, didn't seem to have any such issues carrying training over from one form to the next. Maybe it was because Ranma's curse was almost identical to his normal body, just differently gendered? Or maybe because Ranma had his curse before he had started all the crazy training that had punctuated the last few years, while Ryouga had just recently acquired his new curse?

Maybe P-Chan had actually been a Shi Shi Houkodan-ing, Bakusai Tenketsu-ing engine of destruction, and he never knew, because he'd just never thought to try?

Time to up the ante a bit. Ryouga pulled out one of the acorns and aimed it in Terra's general direction. It didn't take long for a curse mumbled in frustration to give him a target.

The acorn whistled through the air.

" _Ow! Son of a-"_

This time the boulder flew _much_ faster, but she hadn't been able to target him, and he leapt far from danger before the boulder landed.

Or so he thought! He was caught completely off guard when something much smaller and faster drilled into his side, blasting the air from his lungs. The hit slammed him to the ground as he gave a pained shout.

" _Ryouga!"_

Gingerly, Ryouga pulled off his bandanna and spotted the culprit. The small, one-foot stone Terra had pulled up first. Between the crashing of the larger boulder and the falling of the rain, he hadn't noticed it hurtling towards him. His talented student no doubt heard his own landing, possibly even predicted it after the last few jumps.

His breathing was starting to come easier, and he was about to get to his feet, when he was suddenly slammed to the ground again. Luckily, this time it was the near weightless form of Terra crashing into him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Ohmygod! Are you alright! You're not dying, are you?"

The fanged youth gave a pained chuckle, this time completing his transition back to standing. Planting his arms firmly on Terra's shoulders, he pushed her back to arms length, having to reach up a few inches to do so now.

"I'm fine, Terra. In fact, that's what I was planning from the start."

Terra rolled her eyes. "Oh, _sure_ , you _planned_ to get hit by a speeding boulder?"

He shook his head, still grinning. "No. I plan on getting hit by _a lot_ of boulders. I would think you, of all people, would understand why."

She stared at him, plainly confused for several seconds, until a light finally flicked on in her eyes. "The rock breaking thing? Wait! Are you using _me_ to do that training on _you?_ But you already know that trick."

He nodded, rolling his shoulder to get some of the stiffness out. "I know the technique, but that's only half of the benefit of that training. The repeated impacts also increase your durability by a staggering amount. If I don't want my kid half to be too much of a liability, then I need to start bringing it up to speed as much as possible."

In fact, with his knowledge of the training in various techniques, and his new younger body… would he be able to short cut his cursed form to actually reach his current level sooner, and even exceed his normal body as his curse body aged up?

Well, that was if his cursed form even aged at all. No one he knew had actually had their curse long enough for him to really notice any major differences. Stupid, oddly specifically worded ancient Chinese curses.

"And you think that I'm just going to sit here and bludgeon you half to death all day?" Terra spun and stalked away, her voice nearly cracked, obviously upset at the idea of harming him. It really was sweet and filled him with pride. On the other hand, the path of a martial artist was fraught with peril.

"Hey Terra?"

The young blonde gave a quick sniff, shivering slightly in the rain now that the adrenaline was running low, turned to glance at him over her shoulder.

"Y-yeah?"

The acorn blurred through the air, his aim true.

" _Yeow_! There was _already a bruise there_!" Terra's eyes snapped up, now glowing gold with rage and power. " _I'm gonna flatten you_!"

Ryouga was already running as fast as his little legs could carry him, chuckling excitedly. He could already feel the ground quaking as several more sizable boulders began to tear themselves free from the ground.

"Blindfold on!" he yelled over his shoulder.

There was some exasperated cursing from behind him, but he had no doubt that she was donning the strip of cloth. He did so himself, after leaping over two boulders that collided loudly beneath him.

He was glad they were past the initial stages of her training. Working on the basics and control involved a more focused and gentle approach. Now that she was ready to really start improving her skill, he felt she was ready for some proper, life and death martial arts training methods.

Speaking of which, he needed to find a way to test his theory of how the cross training with his cursed form worked. Knowledge flowed back and forth fine, but obviously conditioning didn't go backwards. However, could training travel forward? It felt weird, kind of like he was talking about one of Cyborg's Time Travel blogs.

He avoided another flying boulder, spinning around to the side to avoid it by the absolute minimum so as not to cause any obvious commotion by jumping a large distance. The fanged boy heard the smaller stone arrowing through the air, arcing around towards the landing site of the last boulder. It was flying blind and would miss him by a mile.

Grinning, he jumped over and planted himself into the projectile's path, setting himself to receive the hit. It smashed into his shoulder, but deflected to the side, a glancing blow. It still hurt, but even in this body, his strength and toughness were still well above normal, and he held his ground. A second later, he was on the move again, not wanting to test himself against the larger boulders yet.

It was a deep concern. If there was no connection between his two bodies, then he'd always be splitting his time, training his real body, then wasting time training his younger body just to try to keep pace. At that rate, if he didn't find a cure, he'd keep falling behind Ranma, who could train in either body and not lose any benefits.

At least if the benefits of training moved forward, then training in his child body wouldn't be a waste of time. But if he wanted to prove his point, then what could he train in his child form that he didn't already have in his adult body?

He noted Terra's attack pattern slowing, growing more methodical, so fired another acorn to maintain her… _motivation_. Ah, the joys of teaching. Cologne would be proud.

A sudden thought occurred to him, and he felt quite pleased with himself for it. Without the Pig, he could try the Chestnut Fist training again. He remembered the method Cologne had shown him, and they had passed a few streams on the way here.

Adding some fresh fish to their meals would certainly be a plus as well.

Though, Ryouga frowned - leaping onto, and then over, another speeding boulder - gauging one's own speed was hard to do. Even Ranma hadn't realized how much his own speed had increased from the training. On their first encounter after Ranma learned the technique, the pigtailed fighter had been so accustomed to his new speed, that he'd assumed that Ryouga had just gotten slower.

Well, what else did he know the training method for, but hadn't learned the technique? Unfortunately, the list was vanishingly small. He knew Ranma had an entire library of tricks, but he hadn't even seen all of them, let alone know how they were done. The only thing he had really innovated himself lately was the utilization of elemental ki, and he'd _already_ unlocked the root secrets of Earth ki.

It wasn't like there were other… elements…

Ryouga held a hand up to his face, watching with fascination as the rain pooled quickly in his palm. A wide smile began to form on his face. It was just crazy enough to work, wasn't it? After all, by very definition, if his cursed form was around, that meant that water was present somehow.

It wouldn't be easy, and it would take time, but he couldn't think of anything else that could more perfectly prove his theory.

"Yes! I'm a genius!"

A fraction of a second later, as the massive boulder crashed into his back, Ryouga felt obliged to retract his last statement.

" _Ryoouga_!"

* * *

"There, I think that should do it."

Kasumi took a step back to admire her handy work. The bandages were wrapped neat and tidy, just as Doctor Tofu had taught her so long ago. The topical cream applied to the boy's shoulders should do its work well, provided he didn't exert himself recklessly for a time.

The tall brunette rolled her eyes. As if _that_ would happen.

Her declaration failed to evoke any response from her patient. Speedy continued to stare glumly at his knees, perched on the examination table.

"So," she began conversationally, "Do you want to tell me what's bothering you? I've been told I'm a good listener."

He shook his head, his short red hair swishing back and forth amusingly. "I… I just got some really bad news. I don't really want to talk about it."

Kasumi sighed. He must be referring to his falling out with the police. She'd received the notice early that morning that the Titan's computer was being disconnected from all Law Enforcement systems. A breach of trust that large must be weighing heavily on the young archer's mind.

Nodding, she decided to leave him to his ruminations for now. Exiting the Medical Bay, she decided to make her way to the Main Room. Maybe watching a few of the shows she promised to record for Terra would make her feel better.

Honestly, she couldn't help but feel partially responsible for Speedy's current mood.

Of course, most of the blame laid squarely on his inability to stop lodging his own foot firmly in his own mouth. Kasumi giggled at that thought. For the longest time, she had thought that Robin had reminded her a bit of Ranma, so dedicated and driven in his arts, but after meeting Speedy, with his cocky attitude, brash demeanor, and seemingly complete lack of common sense, well, the comparisons made themselves.

In fact, now that she thought about it, the moody Robin, prone to his tunnel vision and deeply held grudges, had more in common with Ryouga. And the contrast between the arrogant archer and the angsty acrobat was even more amusing in that it was Robin that was learning the Chestnut Fist and had established a wide lead over his rival. Maybe, just for her own amusement, when Ryouga got back, she should convince him to teach Speedy the Breaking Point?

That would be fun on _several_ levels.

Honestly, who needed television when you had friends like these?

She prepared to make a lie of her previous statement, picking up the tv remote and readying to drop her posterior onto the couch, when the phone rang.

This perplexed the rehabilitating homemaker, as she didn't actually recall there _being_ a phone in this room. Most everyone in the tower got contacts on their communicators or via messages from the computer or talked to on the big screen. Was it a personal phone, or a work phone?

Another ring.

 _Oh, right_! Moving with haste, she dropped the remote and made her way to the large console. Luckily, there was a large flashing light identifying an old-style phone and she quickly picked it up.

"Hello, Titan residence."

"Uh, hi… I was looking for Speedy. Who is this?"

Well, that was interesting. A mature sounding woman looking for Speedy and using a voice distorter as well. Perhaps the young archer had a type?

"My name is Kasumi. I'm staying with the Titans."

"Kasumi…" She could hear the person on the other end of the line tapping something loudly, maybe a pen? "Oh, _right_! You're one of the recent influx from Japan. You're involved with that Ryouga guy, right?"

Kasumi felt her cheeks tinge at the blatant insinuation. "Oh my, no. I'm not in a relationship with Ryouga. I find younger men to be… troublesome."

"Heheh. You and me both - _wait_! I didn't mean it like that! I meant that you were working with Ryouga, and that Ranma guy, before you came to America, right?"

"Well, that is certainly one way to put it," she replied with the barest hint of sarcasm.

"I think that you and I really need to have a nice, long chat sometime. I have so many questions about you and your friends. Unfortunately, I'm on the clock at the moment. Is Speedy there?"

The eldest Tendo sister wondered just how much she would enjoy such a conversation. She had a strange feeling that it would be very one directional.

"I'm quite sorry, but he's indisposed now. He had… something of a rough night."

"Did he have another run in with our mystery girl, Red X?" the equally mysterious caller gave an annoyed grunt. "You'd think he would have thought to call in some backup. Probably too hopped up on testosterone to even think he'd need _help_ fighting a _girl_."

"Well, boys will be boys. It wouldn't be fair to expect anything different." To be fair, she wasn't sure that _any_ of the young people she knew, boy or girl, could stomach the idea of asking anyone for help. That was martial artist pride for you… she was sure it was fine. After all, her father turned out normal.

She caught herself pensively chewing her lip.

"You're not wrong. Anyway, I just wanted to fill in the adorkable archer on the invite status for his party."

"Oh," Kasumi felt an increasingly familiar feeling welling up in her chest. "Speedy asked _you_ for help organizing his party?"

"Yeah, the guy pretty much blackmailed me." The mystery woman laughed a touch darkly. "Though, I have to say, it was actually a good excuse to get in touch with a lot of people I haven't talked to in awhile. I've been a bit of a recluse lately."

"So, does that mean you have an idea of how many people might be planning to attend?" Perhaps she could take advantage of the nice woman's call after all. You couldn't start planning a party properly until you knew how many people would be attending. "After all, I'm helping Speedy with his little party as well."

"Hey, that's great!" The muffled sounds of typing away at a keyboard came over the line. "Honestly, I'm surprised at the response. I've got a few dozen people excited to come out for the night."

A few dozen? Well, that would certainly be exciting. Not as eventful as their Christmas party, at least one could hope so. Then again comparing the rather colorful people back home to the young heroes she knew, this might just turn out to be the nice relaxing, intimate get together she had always wanted.

There was a thoughtful pause. "Say, have you heard of the Titans East? Aren't two of their members also from your group back in Japan? What do I have here… Blue Thunder and… _Shining Spatula_? Sheesh, that girl needs a PR department, and fast."

Kasumi giggled in amusement. It seemed like Ukyou was having as many issues coming up with a decent hero name as Ryouga was. "Oh, does that mean that they accepted the invitations?"

"Their leader, Bumblebee, gave a strong, definite maybe."

She nibbled on the end of her thumb tersely. While she didn't mind Tatewaki coming, he'd been little Nabiki's friend for so long that he was nearly family, she wasn't so thrilled at the idea of the Okonomiyaki chef attending.

Though she would never admit it, Kasumi did not love everyone as equally as she might appear to; she had people she liked and disliked, just like everyone else. Deep down, Ukyou was, by far, her least favorite of Ranma's fiancées. Just as Ryouga was her favorite among his playmates.

And it was the same event that had cemented her opinion on them both. She thought back, fondly, to their eventful adventure to the legendary island of Togenkyo. Uncle Genma had been kind enough to explain some of the events that had happened shortly after the strange servants of Prince Toma had kidnapped her.

He had told her how Ryouga and himself had scoured a large portion of the island searching for her. She remembered smiling brightly as Uncle Genma told her about teasing Ryouga about ferocious 'man-eating octopi' and how frantic the gullible young Lost Boy had been to find her and save her, no matter the danger.

Her smile slipped as she remembered the follow up to that when Uncle Genma and Ryouga had stumbled across Ukyou on the beach. Upon learning that Kasumi had been kidnapped, the young chef hadn't even thought to help, and, in fact, ignored their warnings completely as she planned to _take advantage_ of Kasumi's _abduction_ just to get closer to Ranma!

Kasumi had never said a word to anyone regarding the incident, hidden it all behind a pleasant smile, but from that day on, she had always known, deep in the back of her mind, exactly how much she mattered to certain people. Was it petty? ...Probably, but still, she was only human.

"-orry, are you still there?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden question.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry, I was distracted for a moment. Anyway, why don't you let me know details of what you told all our guests, so I can know when we can plan to start expecting people."

"Heh, well, I can tell you what I told them, but don't expect everyone to show up on time. Organizing a pack of hormonal teenage superheroes is a bit like herding cats."

The homemaker turned medical student turned party planner smiled widely as she began taking notes on her new friends' rather exhaustive list of potential attendees. My, but it seemed that she had been underestimating how many people Speedy would be able to convince to come.

Considering just how little that Speedy had managed to get accomplished, what with his extracurricular activities, it would certainly take a lot of work to get things properly prepared for such a large group. Luckily, she'd already taken care of a few things last night.

Oh, but she was going to be busy, what with making the final preparations, as well as making certain that Speedy kept up with his training. The poor boy needed as much help as he could get at this point.

It was certainly going to be an exciting couple of days.

* * *

The pink haired witch bounced with obvious excitement as she nattered on with the dark cowled figure that accompanied her. No doubt bragging like a plebeian about the petty mugger that she had just apprehended under to older man's guidance.

Unfortunately, Kodachi Kuno had yet to master the art of reading lips over great distances and could not determine the specifics of the vile peasant's conversation.

"Well, it looks like the information was actually good," muttered her partner, his enthusiasm lacking. She turned to regard the young man; his face hidden behind a slip of black fabric. He gestured towards the binoculars she was holding, and she passed them over so he could have a closer look as well.

"Considering what we paid for it, I would have been most… put out, if it had not proven true."

"Well, I admit, I had fully thought we'd been scammed. I mean, talk about too crazy to be true." He leaned over the ledge, focusing ever more closely on the pair. "But there's the Bat himself. I _never_ would have guessed he'd willingly associate with a known criminal like her, beating up villains or not."

She let out a small laugh. "I am just satisfied that disgusting, perverted little troll isn't with her any longer." Her entire body shivered from head to toe at just the thought of her Dear Ranma's degenerate master. "I couldn't care less who her current companion is. Fate itself has seen fit to deliver my hated enemy into my hands. I do not plan to waste this opportunity."

Rising to her feet, she produced her ribbon and began to twirl the piece of fabric. It was time to deliver a proper declaration of challenge so that she could engage the pink haired witch in a perfectly fair duel to prove her inherent superiority.

Maybe just an extra dose of paralyzing powder up her sleeve for good measure.

She was about to leap from the roof, laughing joyously, when she was suddenly tugged back down, a hand on her wrist. She stared blankly at the owner of the hand for a moment.

"Your hand appears to be grasping my own," she blinked twice for good measure, just to confirm what she saw. "But that surely cannot be the case, as you have not previously stated a desire to be flung from the rooftop to an ignoble demise."

His hand pulled back as if her arm were a deadly viper, but he held her gaze regardless. At least this boy, while far short of her love's manliness, was not completely without spine.

"Look, are you _cr_ -"

She narrowed her eyes and he instantly tripped over his words.

"I _mean_ , don't you know who that is? This Jinx girl, she's just a punk kid, but that's the goddamn Batman! He takes down _way_ nastier people than us on the regular."

Kodachi rolled her eyes elegantly. "I don't care how cursed this _rodent_ man is by the Lord. He is no threat to one as skilled as myself."

"No, you don't-" he paused for a moment, "Wait, are you a Christian?"

"Of course not. I just attended an all-girl’s Catholic School."

Her companion seemed to stare off into nothing for a long moment, before giving his entire body a shake. "Oh God, that's so hot."

The Black Rose narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"

" _Nothing_! Nothing. Look, I'm not saying we don't take out pinky, here. We just need to find a way to separate the two. We just need to wait for our opening."

Kodachi rested against the ledge of the roof, considering her companion's words. He _did_ know the region, and its occupants, better than her, she was forced to admit. And he did seem to have a strong opinion on this heretical bat man. Maybe being damned by God gave him some strange powers? There was a lot of that in mythology, gods punishing mortals by turning them into invincible killing machines. It never made any sense to her.

"Well, I suppose catching her alone would assure that it was a fair fight."

Her companion laughed quietly. "Hey now, I don't care about a _fair_ fight, I prefer-"

She did not learn her partner's preferences, as he was suddenly interrupted by something quite startling.

Appearing, as if from thin air, a black clad hand slammed into the side of her companion's head, then _drove_ it, face first, into the roof ledge with a sickening crunch. The dark figure then pulled her partner back up, blood soaking through his mask already, and casually tossed him back to the roof to land in a heap.

Kodachi couldn't tell if the young man were alive, or even how she should feel if he was not. Instead, a strange numbness washing over her, she turned to regard the perpetrator of the crime.

Standing before her, and towering over her, was a massive man still mostly cloaked in shadows. Even through the obfuscation, she could see that he was standing calmly, his arms folded behind his back, which only emphasized how broad his chest was. She could not see a face, rather just two slashes of color, orange and black, and a single eye staring back at her. Such an imposing visage, coupled with the brutal act of violence...

The Kuno heiress could only look away, clasping her hands to her face in shock.

 _So manly_!

"Your companion is correct, though not for the reason you think."

The voice flowed into her ears like honey-coated velvet and she felt her heart skip a beat. Such a commanding voice, and so refined.

"You see…" There was a pause. "Excuse me, are you listening to me?"

The question snapped the gymnast from her daze. She coughed into her hand daintily to regain her composure.

"Of course. But I must say, you are acting quite familiar for someone that dared to attack an ally of the Black Rose!" She made certain to cultivate the proper fire in her words. If she were to regain the upper hand, she couldn't allow this mysterious man to continue to throw her off balance.

The stranger gave a low chuckle, before bowing down politely, swinging one of his arms before him. As he did, she was rewarded with a better view of him. He was large but was wearing pieces of dull grey armor on his shoulders that made him appear bulkier than he was. It was also clear now that he was wearing a metallic, two-toned mask over his face.

"I apologize. I do tend to get ahead of myself." He stood straight once more and lifted a hand to his chest. "You may call me Slade. And I am here because I believe that you have far too much potential to waste on prowling the night with common burglars."

Kodachi preened at the well-deserved praise. She knew, of course, of her own greatness, but it was all but impossible to find someone else lately that would admit to it as well. Well, no one that mattered, at any rate, such as Ranma. The opinion of her various cronies and underlings meant nothing to her.

Holding up her ribbon, she held it ready with the promise of violence. "You appear to have me at a disadvantage, Mr. Slade. Perhaps you can cut to the chase and let me know why you are _really_ here?"

He nodded, calmly clasping his hands behind his back once more. "Very well. I am here for two reasons. The first, is to stop you from making a mistake. The second, is to make you an offer."

She narrowed her eyes, stretching one leg out before her and sweeping it to the side in preparation of attack. "Is that so? And, pray tell, what mistake could you possibly be saving me from?"

Obviously completely unconcerned with her threats, rather than answer straight away, Slade walked up to her side, so close that she could smell the acrid odor of steel and oil. He then gestured to the street where Jinx and the bat man were approaching a large black vehicle. The sight filled Kodachi with fury.

_She will not escape me!_

She spun and prepared to leap onto the ledge, only to be stopped by an outstretched arm barring her way. The Black Rose glared daggers at the armor-clad man next to her.

"As I said, your companion was correct. This is not a fight you can win, but not because the Batman is there."

The matter-of-factly way he spoke, his words dripping with experience and cold logic, gave her pause for a moment. She gave an angry swipe with the wand of her ribbon, insisting that he continue. He seemed to understand, swinging his blocking arm to gesture at the pink haired witch and her companion.

"The Batman has a fearsome reputation, but he is no real threat to one of your abilities." He shook his head, lowering his arm to clasp his hands once again behind his back. "It is Jinx that you need to worry about."

That caught her attention. "You know that harlot?"

He nodded curtly. "A long time ago – in a different life, one might say - I hired her to destroy my enemies. She failed, of course, but I know her talents well."

That was certainly interesting. A little insider information on an opponent was never a gift one should turn down. Laughing into her hand, she leapt up onto the ledge, but made no move to leap further.

"Then you should know that she is no match for myself. So, please, enlighten me as to why attacking the scrawny alley cat would be a mistake."

He gave another chuckle. "It's true, if you had fought Jinx at that time, it's quite possible you could have beat her. Though your fighting style is a bad matchup against her power, your physical abilities far exceeded her own."

The raven-haired gymnast graced her companion with a nasty look. "What do you mean 'at that time'?"

"I'm certain you saw the video, as have many others. You know who Jinx has been traveling with, who has been training her for these past months?"

She scoffed loudly. "The perverted troll? I know of the vile miscreant, as does _any_ woman from Nerima. You expect me to believe that _he_ was _actually_ training a woman? From what I've heard, he can't even be bothered to train his own heir."

"And yet that is the case." Turning to face her now, his eye level with hers despite her new perch. "Her powers and her talents have both grown at a surprising pace. It would be folly for you to challenge her now."

Kodachi felt an icy pit opening within her stomach. She had never met this man before, had no idea who he was, or why he was doing any of this… and yet, every word he spoke held the ring of truth. Even she was forced to admit, with this infuriating man so inelegantly throwing it in her face, that she had recognized some of her dear Ranma's movements in Jinx's battle with that alligator man.

He had been no Mr. Turtle, that was for certain.

Giving a loud ' _hmph_ ' of annoyance, she turned away to stare into the darkness of the night. "Let us take you at your word then, though you have done nothing as of yet to have actually earned that modicum of trust. You said you came with an offer, as well as your warning. So, what could you possibly offer that would be of interest to myself?"

She wondered if he was smiling a sinister grin beneath his steel mask as he regarded her with that one cold eye. He tilted his head one way, then the next, apparently giving his answer much thought. Finally, he held out a single hand.

"I seek an apprentice. With that, I could make many hollow offers. Training, money, influence, all things that would come naturally from becoming my student… but we both know that none of those are a proper enticement to yourself." He lifted his hand higher, slowly curling his hand into a fist, the thick leather of his gloves creaking in protest. "So, I offer you the one thing, the _only thing_ that has real value in this world."

A surge of searing flame engulfed the upraised fist.

"Power."

Kodachi watched the licking flames, enraptured. These were not the roiling energy of one's ki, or any other such manifestation of a battle aura that she knew of. No, Slade's hand was literally on fire, and yet was not being consumed. He released his fist, and instantly, the flames died away, leaving only a few wisps of smoke left curling from his glove.

Of course, it could be a trick. She knew many clever people; it was possible she could even create a similar effect within her own laboratory.

But she knew that was not the case. Kodachi could feel it now, the dull thrum of power that sang beneath the man's skin. There was no doubt that he could summon and dismiss those flames whenever and wherever he wanted, and likely more besides, much more.

The Black Rose stared Slade straight in the eye for a long time, she wasn't even certain how long, until, with as much elegance and dignity she could manage, she took a single step down, off the ledge, to stand before him. Once again, he towered over her, and she could only glance to the side meekly.

"But, why would you choose me?"

Looking down at her, she almost imagined a glint of softness in his eye as he dropped a heavy hand on her shoulder, squeezing down firmly. "Who else could I have possibly chosen, _but_ you?"

A wide smile stretched itself across the Black Rose's face. A pride borne of something beyond just her lineage, or her gymnastics skills swelled up within her. This man, this powerful, imposing stranger… he _wanted_ her. _Her_ , the loony gymnast that even her own delusional brother was ashamed of.

This… had never happened before.

She shot an errant glance to her side, to the collapsed figure of her former partner. "And what of him? Do we simply leave him here? Is - is he even alive?"

His answer came in the form of a question.

"Do you care?"

Kodachi allowed an entire second to deliberate the answer.

"So, when do I get to end the candy-coated coward with the winged rodent?"

He gave her shoulder another firm squeeze before releasing her and stepping back.

"A good question, but a perfect answer."

He turned to regard the scrawny witch and her caped companion, offering one last dismissive snort. "Don't worry, apprentice. I know exactly where you will be able to find her soon enough."

With that, he turned and gestured out towards the dark heart of the city.

"Now, it is time to take your first step on a new path; we have much to do."

Yes, a new path, one worthy of her, and suitable only for the Black Rose to walk. A journey to righteous vengeance and unknowable power. Nodding confidently, she took that first step.

"Yes… my master."

* * *

Jinx paused, one foot in the Batmobile. A sudden shiver ran all the way down her spine to the tips of her toes and her gaze was pulled to the roofs above them. Her caped companion looked at her expectantly from the driver's seat of the ridiculously over engineered sedan.

The pink haired sorceress gave her head a shake, sending her loose hair swinging about in a flurry of cotton candy.

"Did you hear that? I coulda swore I just heard some crazy laughter, or… something."

The Dark Knight stared at her, completely deadpan.

"It's Gotham… I _always_ hear crazy laughter."

His response failed to provide her _any_ sense of reassurance. Her gaze lingered on the roofs for another second, but nothing else followed. Finally, she shrugged and sat down into the passenger seat next to her temporary tutor in the not-quite-villainous arts.

"You know, you _really_ need to work on your sense of humor. That wasn't _nearly_ as funny as you think it was."

Batman didn't even look at her as he gunned the engine.

"Who said I was joking?"

With that, he threw the car into gear and swung them out onto the road, already breaking more traffic laws than Jinx ever had in her entire life. The witch, with her devil may care attitude and youthful sense of invincibility, once again found herself clutching the armrests and squeezing her eyes shut in mortal terror at her mentor's 'driving'.

"Hmm, we're running behind. We only have a few days left before we need to get you to Steel City." Suddenly Jinx felt a sense of dread settle into her stomach that made her forget the distant laughter completely. Something infinitely more terrifying taking its place in her mind.

Batman had almost sounded amused.

"We better pick up the pace."

The last thing Jinx remembered before the G-forces suddenly slammed her back into her seat, was a frenzied prayer.

' _Please let me live till the weekend!_ '


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own Ranma, Titans or DC in general.

Enjoy if you will, Tolerate if you won't.

* * *

(Several days later - The morning of the Party)

Terra smiled warmly at the rays of the rising sun. The lances of light crawled across the desert sands, setting them to sparkling and dispelling the darkness of the night. Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, she tucked her long hair over her ear and turned to regard her companion.

Next to her, making some last second adjustments to his backpack, Ryouga returned her smile with the addition of a fang or two. Back in his normal body, she was forced to look up to him again, after so long a time.

"Honestly, I can't figure out if that was the longest, or the shortest few days in my entire life," Terra said with a laugh.

Ryouga hefted his backpack onto his shoulders before slinging his shimmering blue umbrella to the top of it. "I was just starting to get back into the swing of my regular training habits. We're obviously going to have to plan more of these trips in the future." Reaching over, he dropped a hand on her shoulder and gave it a companionable squeeze. "But you made some good progress. I'm proud of you."

The young geokinetic swelled with pride, nearly balancing on her toes. A moment later, she let out a weak sigh. "I know I should be super excited about the party, but it was really nice to just get back into nature, you know. To just enjoy the scenic beauty of it all."

Her fanged tutor nodded knowingly. "I must say, all this training did make me feel a bit nostalgic for Nerima."

As one, they glanced back over their shoulders to the small cave and the surrounding area that had served as their training grounds for several days…

Terra winced, and then cringed at the sight. Long trenches tore up the landscape, and the shattered remains of boulders littered the entire region. Cacti, once tall and proud, no doubt standing for countless years were uprooted, burnt, slashed, or just plain smashed. Massive craters abounded, some exposing bedrock. And at just the moment they turned to look back, the cave they had had called home gave its final dying gasp and collapsed in on itself, launching a plume of dust into the air.

Ryouga gave a satisfied sigh of his own. "Yup, just like the good old days."

Terra tugged at her collar, it suddenly feeling tight around her neck. She looked to her companion.

"Um, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

He nodded quickly.

"Yeah, we should get out of here before some environmentalist types show up."

Laughing happily, she began jogging in the general direction of home.

"Hey Terra!"

She paused for a fraction of a second, just long enough for something to bounce off the back of her skull. In a flash, her hand snaked behind her and caught the offending object.

The bandanna clad martial artist walked past her, shaking his head sadly. "Still too slow."

Terra scoffed loudly. "What are you talking about? A baby would have thrown it harder. I'm not gonna waste effort on that."

Ryouga just glanced back at her over his shoulder, still walking towards the rising sun. He had the oddest smile on his face for some reason but didn't say a word.

Shrugging, Terra moved to catch up. "Wait up, Ryouga! I wanna make it home before the party, not before I hit menopause!"

"Ugh! Was that really necessary!?"

"Don't be a sexist pig, Ryouga!"

"I would need a _very_ shallow grave for someone as scrawny as you!"

The young geokinetic smiled fondly. Then, absently, she unfolded her hand and looked at her captured prize. She gave a light giggle. Just as she suspected, yet another acorn. Hmm, that was odd, though.

The acorn was cracked open…

* * *

Speedy let out an exhausted groan as he rolled over in bed. It took a few tries, but he finally kicked the sheets off. Every muscle in his body was aching and the thought of getting out of bed was a torture best left for Future Speedy to deal with.

The last few days had been some of the most grueling in his life. He'd trained harder than he'd ever trained. Hunted Red X tirelessly every night, never quite able to pin down the villainous minx. And had to do it all while evading the cops and not being able to get in contact with his absent 'team members' in any damned way.

He _still_ had no idea what her plan was. First the Mineral Exchange. Then she hit up that Electronics Store. Then the brewery attack. And he still couldn't figure out why she went after that place that rented theater equipment. He couldn't figure out anything that tied those four things together. And that had just been the stuff that he'd been able to catch her on. Who knew what she had gotten up on to the few times the cops had beaten him to the punch, and he'd been forced to steer clear?

Red X's words still rattled around his head, threatening to drive him crazy. Robin? Better than him? _That would be the day_! The very idea was an affront and proving her wrong had consumed his every waking thought.

Today, though! Today was the day he-

Something clicked in his mind, and that click translated into a double barrel blast of realization to the back of his head. Instantly, he flopped over, his legs tangling up in the sheets, and he crashed to the floor with a pained grunt.

" _Shit! The party!_ "

He barely managed to get his pants on before he stumbled out the door and slammed into the opposite wall of the hallway. He wrestled with his shirt as he half shuffled, half ran towards the main room.

By some miracle, he made it most of the way there without tripping and snapping his own neck, and nearly ran into his one remaining teammate just outside the door. He stopped just shy of running up to her and grabbing her by the lapels.

" _Kasumi_! I haven't done anything for the party!" He ran a hand through this bedhead hair and started pacing anxiously back and forth. "I-I don't even know how many people are coming!"

His frantic pacing was stopped by Kasumi planting her hand on his chest. Immediately, he froze and stared at the taller Japanese woman blankly.

"Oh my, what a mess," she cooed. Kasumi produced a small comb and began to run it through his hair. "You really need to just take a deep breath."

Once she was satisfied with his hair, giving him scrutinizing looks from several angles, the tip of her tongue sticking out cutely, she started tugging at his shirts and smoothing it out. "How can you expect to have any fun at your own party if you wear yourself out worrying?"

The crimson archer, not sure how to handle the sudden invasion of his personal space, decided to take her advice, and took several deep breaths, closing his eyes tightly and trying to force his mind clear of thought.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again, to the sweetly smiling face of Kasumi, staring back at him patiently.

"Well, that's the problem," he replied weakly. "There _is_ no party. I mean, I haven't even bought a single can of pop or bag of chips." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "I need to call Oracle!"

He took a half a step forward towards the main room, but stalled out, as Kasumi failed to move to the side and he almost walked into her. Instead, the Titan's homemaker tapped a finger to her cheek and offered him a small grin.

"It's funny you should mention that. I actually spoke with your girlfriend a few days ago." Her head tilted to the side, causing her long chestnut ponytail to pool on her shoulder. "She was kind enough to let me know who might be attending."

He parsed her statement for relevant information.

"Hey! She's not my girlfri - Wait, did she _say_ something about wanting to be my girlfriend?"

The Japanese brunette giggled lightly. "I believe the term 'adorkable' was bandied about, but I'm not terribly familiar with the term."

"Hmm, yeah, I'll take it. Now I really need to call-" He gave his head a good shake. "No! Wait, the party! How many people are coming? How am I gonna get anything in time? Did Cyborg leave the keys for his car?"

Without him realizing it, Kasumi wrapped her hands around his elbow and gently led him to the door of the main room. "You should be excited. There should be between two to three dozen people coming. Quite a turnout!"

Speedy blanched as the news had the opposite effect. "How am I gonna entertain that many people! How much soda do you need for that many people!"

He didn't register his companion rolling her eyes at his distress. She reached out towards the button that opened the door.

"Don't worry yourself, Speedy. I saw how busy you were over the past few days, so I took the liberty of making a few arrangements on my own." She offered him a bright smile. "I hope you find them acceptable."

The door slid open and Speedy had to avert his gaze from the blazing golden glow of perfection that washed over him.

The acrobatic archer stumbled weakly into the room, staring about wildly in awe. Over by the large bay windows were several long tables, laden with various bottles, cups, and snacks. The massive television and Game Station had been moved towards one of the corners and a few controllers were set out, ready to take on any comers. Not too far from the elevator, there was a small stage with an expensive looking karaoke system set up. Over the stage, several spotlights were set up, all wired back to a small laptop set up next to all the karaoke song books.

And the pièce de résistance, standing in all its glory at the end of the long food tables, was an entire keg of beer!

Speedy was glad he was wearing his absorbent mask today, as he could feel tears welling up in his eyes. It - it was all so beautiful.

Something was off though, something just at the back of his mind. His gaze flicked back to the karaoke system, then to the fancy theater spotlights, and then fell back to the keg, lingering there for a long time. In an instant, it all clicked together, all the hints and subtle clues that he had missed.

He spun to look at Kasumi, surprise no doubt evident on his face.

"Kasumi! You're twenty-one!?"

She stared back at him blankly for a moment, before pouting cutely and looking away with a loud sniff.

" _Hmph_! It's rude to discuss a woman's age!"

* * *

Starfire huddled in the seat of her cockpit; knees pulled tight to her chest as she watched the stars blur by. She had been thinking herself in circles for days now, only growing more concerned with every revolution. If she were to ruminate on her sister much longer, she might end up tying her stomachs into a knot and dying of a ruptured digestive tract.

Which, honestly, might be preferable to what she knew currently awaited on Tamaran.

The red headed heroine clenched her eyes shut and pressed her forehead to her knees. Tamaran, her home. To see it again after so long should have been a joyous occasion. Knowing that her sister awaited her, with a plan to marry her off to a complete stranger, soured her swelling feelings completely.

Unfortunately, the Captain of the Void Skipper had precious little information beyond what he had told her, barely more than she already knew. Which left her with little else to do but imagine worst case scenario after worst case scenario, each worse than the last.

A bark of laughter escaped her throat. She was forced to give her sister credit for her motivation and ambition. For Starfire, a full day could consist of doing some training, patrolling the city, and maybe watching some television. But _Blackfire_ had somehow broken out of _intergalactic prison_ and _conquered an entire planet_ in about the same time it had taken Starfire to complete that online human cooking course.

How did villains find so much time in the day to complete their unwieldy and unfeasible schemes? Starfire could only _wish_ for that much passion in her own hobbies.

"Attention, My Lady," the Captain's voice suddenly sounded through the communication system, drawing her attention.

"Yes?" she replied by habit.

"I wanted to inform you that we will be approaching Tamaran momentarily." There was a short pause, the Captain's voice held an odd tenor despite his good news. "Please inform your pilot to stay close to the Void Skipper. I have been warned by Planetary Command that Tamaran is currently under blockade by hostile forces, and that we are ordered to approach by a specific vector or risk being destroyed."

Starfire was too shocked to react, but her friends were not. Gasps and shouts of 'what!?' filled the comm-line for several moments until the Captain finally regained control.

"Now that we are in-system, I am working on getting more information. I still have a few friends in the fleet." The Captain gave a rather unconvincing chuckle. "Just stay close and maintain communication silence. Hopefully, they won't even notice your shuttle in the wake of the Void Skipper, and we can avoid any potential issues."

" _Shuttle_? Did you ju-" Starfire spun to see Cyborg silently ranting and raving against the injustices of the universe from his section of the ship. She then looked over to Raven's pod, seeing her clearly smiling while holding her finger on the 'mute' button for Cyborg's channel. She offered her dear friend a wide grin.

"Uh..." Beast Boy stepped in where Cyborg left off. "Just what happens if an 'issue' were to arise?"

There was a long pause. "Well, if that is the case, then take solace in the knowledge that the crew of the Void Skipper would be honored to die in the name of Lady Koriand'r."

"Dude, solace is the opposite side of the _galaxy_ from what I'm feeling now!"

"Apologies, young one, but there is no time left. Communications are being cut."

With that, there was a moment of static and then silence once more. At the front of the ship, Robin disabled all communication between the pods, just in case even that much could alert this strange new enemy.

Starfire felt the discomfort in her stomachs even more keenly now. Yet another travesty to be added to the rest. An alien blockade just as her sister takes the throne. Any feeling of joy that the Tamaranean princess might have felt of her return home had been reduced to ash.

The ship began to shudder around them, and the stars shrank down from long lines to single points. A moment later, a sharp jolt ran through the ship as the mooring clamps released them from the Void Skipper's grasp, allowing the T-Ship to travel under its own power once more. Ahead of them, the massive bulk of the Light Cruiser began to steer gracefully to the side, no doubt following the approach vector they had been assigned.

As it did, it revealed something that rekindled the flames in Starfire's heart.

Unbidden, tears rolled freely down her cheeks as the Vegan sun rose over Tamaran. She flew forward and pressed her hands and face up against the cockpit. It had been _so long_ since she had last seen her home. The light of the dawn spread across familiar vistas, the oceans, and the continents, dispersing the darkness.

Tamaran glittered like a gem in the starlight.

From space, the sight of her home world filled her chest with such an intense feeling of longing that she feared it would choke her. Her hand curled into a fist and thumped lightly against the fragile material of the cockpit.

_No! This is not a lost cause! This is my home!_

Her gaze hardened and she scanned the orbit of the planet. No longer enamored by the sight of her home, it was impossible to miss the alien fleet that swarmed about Tamaran. And swarmed seemed appropriate; the ships possessed unusual forms, more reminiscent of earth insects than proper vessels. Ghastly green in color, and with numerous strange protuberances that could be weapons, or sensors, or just there to look hideous.

She also noted that while the vast bulk of the ships were not exceptionally large, not even matching up to the size of the Light Cruiser before them, from just what she could see, they had to outnumber the entire Tamaranean Royal Navy by ten to one.

And that was not even taking into account any possible disparity in technology and firepower. Despite the size difference, each of those small ships had the potential to outgun ten Tamaranean Battleships; unfortunately, it was impossible to know unless combat were to commence. One thing _was_ certain, even a battle that was evenly balanced between those two forces was a battle that would see the T-Ship obliterated in a single instant.

A quick glance around her revealed the anxious faces of her friends, all possibly drawing the same conclusions as her. Robin, especially, was concentrating on keeping them close to the Void Skipper. The entire ship rattled around them as he tried to surf the engine exhaust of the larger vessel to better hide their presence.

Several tense minutes passed, but it appeared luck was on their side. Also, that none of the occupying aliens happened to be looking out their windows at the time. Then again, it was a bit like a human bus towing an earthly toaster oven, maybe they just had not been noticed? Or they had simply been informed that she was arriving, and chose to ignore her?

It was the uncertainty that made it so maddening!

Gradually, the blackness of space gave way to the amethyst skies of her homeland. She allowed herself to be mesmerized by the sights, the great plains, the sprawling forests, and the massive stone spires reaching towards the heavens. Her gaze was drawn to the tallest spire of all, upon which rested the Imperial Palace. On the ground below, a massive city reached nearly as far as the eye could see.

It was impossible to miss seeing more of the vile alien craft landed at strategic points all around the city. One ship, far larger than any of the others, stood out easily, looming to the north of the city, like a predator, waiting to pounce.

_What have you done, sister? Did you bring another invasion to our doorstep, or is this all just a grand coincidence?_

Giving her sister the benefit of the doubt had done nothing but bite her in the posterior her entire life. And yet, in the deepest depths of her heart, she still held out hope that Blackfire was not, yet again just being Blackfire. Starfire had been told that this marriage was what was best for Tamaran. She prayed to X'hal that there was at least a grain of truth to that.

She was _so tired_ of fighting her sister.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she was startled by the loud hiss of her canopy opening. She started for a moment, before the sweet smell of Tamaranean air filled her nostrils with as much nostalgia as oxygen.

Tentatively, she floated up from her seat, Raven parallel to her on the far side of the ship, while the rest of her companions scrambled out of their seats and dropped to the ground. She looked around expectantly, but against her expectations, there were no guards, no alien soldiers with weapons at the ready. They were parked on a smaller transport pad only a hundred meters away from where the Void Skipper was still settling into its docking stirrups.

In fact, there was no one to greet them at all. The only thing that reminded her that the planet was under siege were the alien vessels stationed a scant kilometer away, all weapons facing the Void Skipper and no doubt ready to fire in an instant.

"This is a bit creepy," Raven muttered, floating at her elbow.

"It is highly irregular, that is certain," she replied before drifting down to join her other friends.

The massive loading ramp of the Void Skipper lowered to the ground with a resounding ' _thump'_ as Starfire and her companions looked around in uncertainty.

"Well, we should go see if the Captain has obtained any more information since we landed," Robin recommended. Everyone nodded in agreement with the logical statement.

"And to thank him for having his engineers install a proper toilet system in the T-Ship," Raven added, her cheeks tinged red. Everyone nodded in agreement with the logical state-

" _Hey!_ " Cyborg barked. "Are you _still_ on about that? I thought we agreed to drop it!?"

'Oh _man_ , I dropped _so much_ after they finished!" Beast Boy offered, obviously proud of himself. Raven, always the voice of calm reason, swatted the emerald changeling upside the head.

" _Don't_ embarrass us in front of the aliens. This is the first time I've been to Tamaran; I don't want us to be remembered for-" the violet eyed Titan gestured, generally in the direction of Beast Boy's entire body, "-For _you."_

Her young companion's shenanigans managed, at last, to cast off some of the pall that hung over their group. As immature as he could be, she knew there was at least some method to the changeling's madness.

Amid a flurry of giggles and grumbles, they made their way over to join the crew disembarking from the Void Skipper. As they approached, Starfire got a good look at the Captain that she had only spoken to for the past few days. Instantly, she froze, even as she felt her cheeks begin to burn. Glancing to her side, she noticed Raven having a similar reaction, the darker Titan looked back at her in disbelief, mouthing the words ' _He is gorgeous!'_

Even by Tamaranean standards, he was just beautiful, with hair even longer than her own. Starfire felt plain and drab just standing in the presence of the man, even as her heart pounded faster. She was trying to reign in her hormones and think of something to say, when, abruptly, the matter was taken out of her hands.

The Captain strode over to their group confidently, his senior staff trailing several steps behind him, only to drop down to one knee and dip their heads as they addressed her.

"My Lady. I must offer my most humble of apologies."

Behind her, Beast Boy whispered to Cyborg, " _Still can't believe she's a princess_!"

The odd greeting, and the fact that she could not see his achingly handsome face at the moment, allowed Starfire to string together some coherent thoughts.

"W-Whatever do you mean, Captain Phyarelle? You have delivered us to Tamaran, as you promised."

Still looking down, the older male shook his head. "You misunderstand. I have withheld information from you ever since we met, and it is crucial that I tell you before it is too late."

A distant, high pitch sound emanated from the ship. It was faint but growing louder. Perhaps a docking system powering up?

Again, behind her, Beast Boy stage whispered to Cyborg, " _Pfft! Probably that he's the president of her fan club!"_ The cybernetic Titan did his best to stifle his snickering.

"You see, I neglected to inform you that, on our trip here, it was revealed that we-"

The piercing squeal suddenly hit a crescendo, an emerald blur shooting out of the ship's hold so fast that the eye could barely follow. Defying physics, the blur hit the ground and banked ninety degrees, blazing right at them. Starfire tried to raise her fists in defence, as did her friends around her, but she felt like she was moving in molasses compared to the green streak. Her eyes widened in shock as the projectile arrowed straight at her!

And past her! The emerald figure blasted past her in a blink, it was followed by a calamitous crash and a high pitched, feminine scream.

" _Beast Boy!"_ She spun, recognizing that scream anywhere. Her fists crackled with emerald energy of her own as she prepared to unleash righteous anger on the…

On the vaguely familiar, green haired Amazon that was currently latched onto the collapsed Beast Boy with all the romantic overtones of an Almeraci warrior maiden. Actually, it was exactly like that now that she thought of it.

Captain Phyarelle coughed loudly into his hand. "We, ah, acquired several stowaways."

" _Spice_!?" Starfire could only giggle as she watched the changeling stare at the young Amazon, torn between shock and terror at her sudden appearance. "What are you doing _here_?"

"You didn't think you could hide from me just by flying off into the stars, did you?" she replied in Chinese. Obviously, Beast Boy had managed to retain some of his hard-earned fluency, as he immediately started to blush and stammer. Or, it might have been due to her nuzzling heavily into the crook of his neck. The gales of laughter and cat calling that ensued were, in her mind, quite justified.

A sudden thought occurred to Starfire. If Spice was here, certainly that meant that she must be accompanied by others of her village as well.

"Stowaways he calls us. Even here, the young people have no respect."

"And yet, he is not wrong. We weren't exactly invited."

Starfire's eyes widened in shock and she spun around. She recognized _those_ voices quite well indeed. Despite knowing who she would see, it still amazed her to see the familiar faces of the Joketsuzoku Elders, Cologne and Perfume, conversing casually next to the kneeling Captain. Behind them, hanging her head in obvious embarrassment was the pale haired woman she remembered seeing with Cyborg back in the village.

" _Cologne_?" Raven and Robin both shouted in unison, their exclamation a mixture of surprise and delight.

" _Perfume_?" Beast Boy and Cyborg, on the other hand, leapt up into each other's arms and scurried away from the young Elder, obviously still suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome. Spice, left sitting on her bottom, stared up at the panicking boys with a pout before crossing her arms over her chest giving a loud sniff.

For her part, Starfire floated forward, absently gesturing for Captain Phyarelle to rise to his feet once more. His overt deference was embarrassing her, luckily everyone was too distracted to make an issue of it.

"Honored Elders, seeing you fills my heart with joy, but for what reason have you come to Tamaran?"

The white-haired Matriarch seemed content to let her aqua haired contemporary field the question, as Cologne instead moved to speak with Raven and Robin. Starfire also noted… _Lotion_ , yes, that was her name, go and help the emerald haired Spice to her feet.

"Well, my old student," Perfume strode forward and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "It appears that your new Grand Ruler does not approve of your actions and chose to dissolve the treaty that you formed. As such, Elder Cologne suggested a route of… how do you say, guerilla diplomacy?"

The Tamaranean was not certain how talented a gorilla could be at diplomacy, but then these Elders had the weight of experience on their side, so it must make perfect sense.

"Wait, my sister did that? But why?"

The tall warrior nodded, laughing heartily. "That is the question, now isn't it? And now you know why we are here. Elder Cologne mentioned that you have your own reason for returning as well."

She hung her head in shame. "Indeed, though what I first thought was best for Tamaran, I now question with all of my being. I have never known Blackfire to act without some ulterior motive."

"Hmm, that puts us in a most interesting situation then, my young friend." Perfume offered her a conspiratorial grin. "First, tense diplomatic talk about treaties, then a forced wedding, and now a dark mystery? If any thing else happens, we might have enough drama to write one of Old Cologne's soap operas!"

Starfire's honest laughter was cut short by Captain Phyarelle clearing his throat loudly. She looked over to see what the issue was, and he simply gestured back over her shoulder.

"I believe, My Lady, that the welcoming committee is finally arriving." He quickly leaned over and whispered past her to Perfume. "You may want to release the Princess. If this is the honor guard, they can be… protective of the imperial family."

The older woman nodded and quickly took a step back to a respectful distance. "Perfectly understandable. Thank you for the warning, Captain."

Turning back to see where he had pointed, she now saw what he was talking about. Seven figures flew towards them, humanoid, no obvious wings and armed with polearms. Notably, the figure at the tip of the arrowhead formation was visibly several times bulkier than anyone else in flight.

Instantly, a wide smile plastered itself over her face. There was only one person she knew that was so imposingly massive.

As one, the approaching group descended from the sky, their armored boots slamming loudly to the ground. The tallest of them was a grizzled older man nearly as broad as he was tall, with a beard longer than Starfire's hair, and a jagged scar running over his ruined right eye. To her sides, her friends tensed, ready for battle, as did Lotion and Spice. Cologne merely peered on impassively.

Perfume, though, seemed to be studying the large Tamaranean, obviously trying to evaluate how dangerous he might be.

Taking a step forward, his foot landing so heavily that it set everyone back a step, the bearded warrior slammed a fist to his chest.

"Nooba gulshtik Koriand'r sol!" He offered the traditional greeting in a deep, booming voice.

"Hesbad rutha Galfore kank!" She returned his traditional greeting, stepping forward and lifting her hands in a sign of strength and respect. Her poor friends grew more tense by the second, but Starfire could only keep up the charade for so long. She shot the old man a playful wink and flew towards him, roaring a battle cry.

In response, the massive warrior raised his arms over his head, roaring defiantly in return.

" _Titans_!" Robin's panicked yell was followed by the sound of frantic motion, no doubt preparing for battle.

When Galfore's arms dropped gently around her, pulling her into a powerful hug. Starfire melted into the embrace, relishing the distant memories it brought up in her mind.

Unfortunately, her foggy memory was a second too late in reminding her just where these hugs invariably ended up. She was forcibly reminded, as large fingers suddenly found her ribs and began tickling without mercy or remorse!

The Titan Powerhouse could only laugh uncontrollably as she squirmed to escape the onslaught, but the ancient Galfore was too practiced in the arts of tickling and offered no quarter.

Finally, he relented, and Starfire had to take several large gulps of air to recover. Her cheeks burned as she felt her companion's eyes on her now, surprise and confusion on their faces.

Awkwardly, she flew up next to Galfore, having to float several feet above the ground just to drop her hand on his shoulder.

"Friends, I wish you to meet my K’norfka, Galfore." She offered her friends a weak smile, seeing their confusion only grow. "He raised me from the time I was very small."

Surprisingly, it was Perfume that spoke first. Taking a step forward, she half turned towards them and fired a challenging look at Galfore through lidded eyes. "You mean to say that this male is... your nanny?"

Galfore bristled at her tone and took another heavy step forward, looming over the tall Elder. He offered her a most unkind smile. "You find that amusing, little one?"

Perfume cocked out her hip and gave an amused chuckle. "Not at all. You must forgive me, as I mistook you for a warrior at first."

Now _that_ got a reaction. Galfore reared up to his full height, his shadow eclipsing Perfume as well as the rest of the Titans. "You seek _proof_? Why I-"

His good eye flitted to Starfire and his incensed tirade sputtered out rapidly. Quickly, he dipped his head to her and took a step back.

"I apologize, Princess. I did not mean to offend your guests." The massive K’norfka, then gestured back towards the palace. "Please, we should head back. I have prepared a feast for your arrival, and we have _much_ to discuss."

With that Galfore and the Royal Guard rose into the air and began to lead the procession of her friends and new companions.

Dropping back to the ground, Starfire nodded, her joyous mood dampened once more by the reminder of what awaited her at the Palace. As her friends began to follow the Guards, albeit reluctantly, she could only circle back to her dark thoughts. What evils could be being planned for her at this very moment?

The _only_ saving grace was that, after days on end trapped alone with her vivid imagination, even her diabolical sister would be hard pressed to find anything that could traumatize her at this point.

She did not even register it as Perfume fell into step beside her, nor when the Elder leaned towards her and whispered conspiratorially.

"So, this Galfore… is he seeing anyone?"

Starfire tasted vomit at the back of her throat.

* * *

It hurt to breathe. With every inhalation, he felt a fire blossom in his abdomen, even as the water flowed over his gills.

He slowed his frantic swimming just long enough to look down as he pulled his hand away from his side. A small cloud of red grew worryingly around the gash in his skin, obscuring the burnt and blackened edges of his once blue uniform. Clenching his teeth, he pressed his hand back to the wound as hard as he could, wincing at the exquisite pain.

In his other hand, he held the charred remains of a once yellow plastic disc. Useless now, he let the former communication device drop from his hand and sink into the blackness below him.

He had to get help, _so many_ lives depended on him making it through. And there was only one place he could think to go at a time like there. They would have the ability to get the word out, and thankfully, they lived right on the coast.

Choking back a cry of pain, he forced himself to begin swimming once more, the water blurring around him as he attained speeds no human could ever hope to match.

He pulled up short as a large, dark figure rose from the depths before him. The monster hefted a wicked looking trident, his discarded communicator impaled on its center tine.

"Going somewhere, friend? You wouldn't want to miss the feast," the scaled creature narrowed its bloodshot yellow eyes. "We have worked so hard; we just know it will be… _perfect_."

He didn't know how much power he had left, felt himself growing weaker with every passing breath, but he reached, deeply, into those waning reserves, fueled by nothing short of rabid desperation. He couldn't be stopped now, or it would all be for naught.

_'Titans, I pray to Poseidon that you're home!'_


End file.
